M??any of us grew up expecting games to have little in the way of a grea?t plot, let alone having great plot twists.

The greatest plot twist is that even though games have relatively recently flourished into an artform that can feature splendid storylines and character arcs, great game plots and plot twists aren't that new of a thing. Let's look at the best plot t??wists in the history of gaming.

Bloodborne is all about aliens

If there's one thing we've learned from nearly 20 seasons of Ancient Aliens, it's that it's never really aliens in real life. In Bloodborne, however, we spend most of the game thinking we're playing Victorian London's version of?? Leon S. Kennedy as we cull a plague of bloodthirsty humans, but that's not the case at all.

What brought the world of Bloodborne to the brink of ruin is everyone's addiction to "old blood." That's not a fancy way of talking about aged blood, but what they call the blood of "old ones," cosmic entities whose odd bodily fluids humankind is completely? crazy ?about.

In true Lovecraftian fashion, we don't know the cosmic entities' motives. We know that "The Hunt" we conduct in Bloodborne happens not to help the people but to suit the needs of the ?Moon Presence, the great old one pulling all the strings in the?? Hunter's Dream.

Solid Snake is the bad guys' greatest asset in Metal Gear Solid

Few games teach players a bigger lesson in humility than the original Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojima, always the master of deception, spends the entirety of the game letting players know that Solid Snake is the best spy in the world. He's right regarding Snake's sneaking abilities, but, as Snake himsel??f states at the start of the game, he's a pawn.

The thing is, we see Snake as a pawn of the US government when, in fact, he's unwittingly working for th?e bad guys. Snake ends up saving the day, but not before giving the terrorists occupying Shadow Moses nuclear strike launch capabil??ities after his evil brother plays him like a fiddle.

Kain is actually on our side in Soul Reaver 2

We spend the entirety of the original Soul Reaver trying to get revenge on Kain for dooming the main character to an eternity of torment, o??nly for him to escape right befor??e we strike the final blow right at the end of the game.

Not too long after Soul Reaver 2 begins, we learn tha??t we'd always been part of a greater plan of Kain's, one where the death of the protagonist was never meant as a final punishment b??ut as a necessary means to save the world.

Is it a retcon? Well, definitely. The original Soul Reaver was meant to end with Raziel killing Kain and ending the entire story, but the game had to be cut short due to budgetary constraints. That's a good thing because this?? originally unplanned twist allowed this once-by-the-numbers revenge tale to elevate the wh??ole series into something so much grander.

Darth Revan's identity in Knights Of The Old Republic

RPGs love the amnesiac main character trope because players can fill in the huge gap with whatever story they want for themselves, and the writers don't have to bother coming up with a specific backstory for that character. The original KOTOR lulls players into thinking that's the kind of story they're in, but they're later hit with the revelation that their character's memory had been erased by the Jedi. Why? Bec??ause you're actually the story's ominous Sith, Darth Revan, and you're being used by the Jedi to secure a w??eapon you hid in your old life.

BioWare had big shoes to fill when writing a Star Wars video game with a big plot twist, and it deserves the Rebel Alliance's medal for writing what's arguably an even gutsier twist into Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic.

SHODAN returns in System Shock 2

Before GLADoS, there was SHODAN. The evil AI is the main antagonist of the original System Shock, but in the sequel, only the bad memories remain. At a later point in the game, we make a significant deal with a character, only to learn that said character is actually dead and that we'd been played by?? none other than SHODAN. It's a good moment in the narrative sense, but what sells it?? as one of the best moments in the history of gaming is how it all plays out in real-time.

If you think that's scary, remember that the developers' original idea for the ending of System Shock was to have p?layers think their compute??r had been taken over by Shodan.

Learning that “the cake is a lie�in Portal

Learning that an AI is actually evil hasn't been a surprising twist for the past, say, 40 years. I mean, I'm pretty sure 99% of AIs �real or fictional �are evil. The thing about the reveal in Portal isn't that GLaDOS seemed benevolent the entire time. It's that she spends the entire game acting very dubiously and then is revea??le??d evil in a moment that's equal times cruel and hilarious. There'll never be another evil AI like GLaDOS.

Learning that Wheatley is bad in Portal 2

Portal 2 takes players through a narrative that mirrors many of the beats from the first game, only this time we have an ally named Wheatley. Wheatley is a bit aloof, but he's very helpfu?l in trying to disconnect the evil GLaDOS from the system.

The problem here isn't even that Whea?tley is mischievous or straight-up evil. The problem is that he's a dumbass. How dumb, you ask? He was made by the smartest minds in the world to be the dumbest AI in the world. He's very good at being dumb, so it really should come as no surprise that as soon as the now-deposed GLaDOS makes fun of him for being completely incapable of keeping things together, he proves her right.

Learning we'd been helping the G Man in Half-Life Alyx

The good people at Valve know that the people demand more Gordon Freeman, and so they have the players of Half-Life Alyx embarking on a quest to rescue the main hero of the series from ??the clutches of the evil Combine.

It's only in the very last scene, where we finally break Gordon's apparent prison, that we see the silhouette of a man with a briefcase. What the hell is that? Gordon would never carry such a business-prone item. Well?, that's because we'd been tricked into releasing not Gordon but the G Man, the most mysterious �and possibly most villainous �character in the series.

The truth about James Sunderland in Silent Hill 2

If you'd played the original Silent Hill before venturing into Silent Hill 2, you'd likely expect that you'd be visiting a creepy town previously populated by monsters. The good news is that the residents of Silent Hill remain as evil as they??'d ever been, but they may not be the worst entities hanging around anymore.

The truth about James Sunderland, the supposed hero of the story, is that he's responsible for doing the worst possible thing to the p?erson he loved most. The game doesn't reveal him as a villain all along but rather as a broken man who might never recover from his guilt.

The meaning of "Would you kindly" in Bioshock

Most characters in FPS games tend to either do as they're told or follow the scent of more enemies to kill. No player has ever complained about either option. In the original Bioshock, we get introduced via comms to Atlas, a polite man who never fails to utter the words "would you kindly" before asking us to do something. You'd think he's just being nice, or that's how people in the '60s era that Bioshock is try??ing to emulate sp??oke all the time, but it is not.

That's because Atlas isn't ??even Atlas, but a master conman who'd "programmed" the main character to do what he was told, so long as he'd hear the words "would you kindly" beforehand.

This is not just a great narrative twist but also a fun dig at the speechless and thoughtless main characters usually populating th??e genre.

The mysterious stranger in Tales From the Borderlands

At the beginning of Tales From Borderlands, we find the main characters imprisoned by a masked stranger who accuses them of treason. We then spend most of the game seeing flashbacks that take us up to the moment of their capture. You'd think that witnessing everything that took place befo??rehand would help us guessing the identity of the stranger, but every new scene seems to only make it more difficult.

My recommendation is that you play this underrated gem and see �or guess �for yourself the ident??ity of the stranger, as it's probably the most deviously clever reveal I've ever seen in all media.

The post The best plot twists in video game history appeared first on Destructoid.

When it comes to video games, there are a lot of memorable characters. Outside of thei?r design or role within a game, what makes these characters memorable is their voice, and every one of these comes as a result ??of actors spending hours in a recording booth. 

There are a lot of voice actors out there, but some are more prolific or memorable than others. Their voices resonate in our heads as part of the characters we come to love while playing, but who’s behind these voices and wher?e else have they a?ppeared?

Joel Miller (The Last of Us) - Troy Baker

Troy Baker might be one of the most well-known voices in video games. He’s not only the voice of Joel in The Last of Us but also Higgs Monaghan in Death Stranding, John Jones in Fortnite, The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins, and the voice of Snow in multiple Final Fantasy titles, including Final Fantasy XIII.

Harley Quinn (Arkham City) - Tara Strong 

Tara Strong is a voice that’s iconic for multiple generations. To me, she’s Timmy from Fairly Odd Parents. To my daughter, she’s Princess Twilight Sparkle from the My Little Pony franchise. In video games, Tara has played not only Harley Quinn in multiple titles, but you can also hear her voice in Rage, and she’s the voice of Rikku in Kingdom Hearts II.

Snake (Metal Gear Solid) - David Hayter

While David Hayter is perhaps most well known for his role as Snake in the Metal Gear Solid franchise and outside of it in other titles, he’s also appeared as the Winter Soldier in Marvel Heroes, a Jedi Knight in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and has multiple voice roles in the Ghost in the Shell game, released in 1997.

Mario (Multiple) - Charles Martinet

I can’t in all good conscience write this list without including Charles Martinet. His voice simply is Mario to anyone who has ever played a single game of the franchise. However, Mario isn’t Charlesâ€?only voice role in the world of video games. He’s appeared as Orvus in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Vigoro in Skies of Arcadia, and, perhaps surprisingly, The Cat in the Hat in a few titles aimed at kids, such as Dr. Seuss Toddler. 

Asterion (Baldur’s Gate III) - Neil Newbon

If TikTok is to be believed, Neil Newbon is the voice of everybody’s favorite Dom. However, before he was the voice of Asterion, Neil appeared in the Resident Evil games as Karl Heisenberg in Resident Evil Village and Nicholai in Resident Evil Resistance. He also played two roles in Detroit: Become Human, Elijah Kamski and Gavin Reed.

Ezio Auditore (Assassin's Creed II Trilogy) - Roger Craig Smith

Roger Crag Smith, I’m not ashamed to say, played a pivotal role in the formation of my love for gaming. I was, and remain to this day, obsessed with Assassin’s Creed II and will always consider it the best of the Assassin’s Creed titles. However, Roger Craig Smith has appeared in many more video games. He’s played Kale Vandelay and SEB-AAA in Hi-Fi RUSH, Sonic the Hedgehog in multiple titles and Mirage in Apex Legends. Most recently, you might recognize his voice as Mission Control in Helldivers 2.

Tiny Tina (Borderlands) - Ashly Burch

Although most recognizable for her voice as Tiny Tina in the Borderlands games, Ashley Burch has played a lot of memorable characters in other titles. She’s the voice of Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn, Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, Mel in The Last of Us Part II, and also provided the voice of Chloe Price in both Life is Strange games. 

Urianger (Final Fantasy XIV) - Timothy Watson

Aside from gracing the world with the purely Shakespearean presence that is Urianger Augurelt in Final Fantasy XIV, Timothy Watson has also appeared in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as King Burgred, has multiple voice roles in Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, and played Mumkhar in Xenoblade Chronicles. 

GLaDOS (Portal) - Ellen McClain

The voice of everybody’s favorite psychopathic robot from the Portal games was provided by Ellen McClain, but it wasn’t the first time she provided an iconic robotic female voice in the world of video games. Ellen is also the voice behind the Combine Overwatch AI in Half-Life 2. She also appears in Cyberpunk 2077 ?as one of Delamain’s split personalities, though this one was modeled after GlaDOS.

Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) - Doug Cockle

Doug Cockle is the voice of Geralt in The Witcher game series as well as when Geralt appears in other titles like Soul Caliber VI. He’s also appeared as Bhaal in Baldur’s Gate III, Robert Nightingale in Alan Wake II, and provides multiple additional voices in Horizon Zero Dawn. Outside of gaming, Doug also played the role of Father John Maloney in 2001's Band of Brothers.

The post 10 most iconic video game characters and who voiced?? them appeared first on Destructoid.

Amper Software, the team behind Team Fortress: Source 2, and James Lambert, the dev working on Portal 64, have stated that they’re ending development of their fan projects following cease and desist demands from Va?lve.

Team Fortress: Source 2 was a fan project aiming to port Valve’s 2007 multiplayer shooter, Team Fortress 2, over to the newer Source 2 engine. While the team had paused development in September, they were hoping to resume at some point, but the DMCA has made that pause permanen??t.

Meanwhile, Portal 64 is a project intended to demake 2007’s Portal to run on the Nintendo 64 hardware. Just a few days ago, the developer was celebrating the release of the game’s �a href="//jbsgame.com/portal-64-project-n?ow-out-of-beta-with-more-to-come/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">First Slice,�which demonstrated the game's progress.

The Team Fortress: Source 2 takedown seems rather understandable since Valve still supports Team Fortress 2 and may one day want to port it or create a sequel themselves. The DMCA posted on the public GitHub page cites that their reasons are due to Valve’s own assets being used in a project, though that hasn’t stopped some other fan games based on their properties from being published and even sold on Steam.

Meanwhile, James Lambert says that Valve has stated that they’ve requested Portal 64 to be taken down because “the project depends on Nintendo’s proprietary libraries.�/p>

This is somewhat surprising since Valve has long supported fan endeavors based on their games, going as far as allowing them to be sold as retail products on Steam. Either this demonstrates a shift in the company’s policy toward such projects, or they actually have reasonable concerns toward these particular projects. Either way, it’s not a great look directly after their announced shift on their storefront policies in regards to AI.

The post Portal 6?4 and Team Fortress: Source 2 fan projects shut?? down after Valve DMCA appeared first on Destructoid.

Portal 2 was released in 2011 to widespread acclaim. Now, 22 years later, there’s a free fan-made mod called Portal: Revolution that perfectly re-captures the joy of the game, albeit with the sad o?mission of a much-loved character.

Released on January 6 2024, Portal: Revolution—developed by Second Face Software—has received positive reviews on Steam. Over 3,000 people have r??eviewed the mod at the time of this writing, and 94% of those are positive. 

One of the reviewers on Steam likened it to the scene in Ratatouille where the chef eats somet??hing made by the rat and has a flashback to a heartwarming childhood memory. They’re right, too. 

The game add-on offers eight hours of exclusive gameplay, voice acting that perfectly captures the humor of the original game and challenging levels to work through. Promising to pick up in terms of difficulty where the original Portal 2 left off, there really is ??some challenge to work through.

Sadly, the add-on takes place after the demise of GLaDOS, so we’re without? her dark sense of humor. But with so much on offer, we can’t hold that against the developers. 

As well as taking the difficulty of puzzles up a notch, the developers have also introduced some new elements to gameplay. There’s a new variant of laser cube and field that cleanses gel. Second Face Software have also resurrected a featur?e that was removed du??ring development of the original Portal 2: "Pneumatic Diversity Vents."

Portal: Revolution is available now on Steam for free and you can play it as long as you have a copy of Portal 2 downloaded to your steam account. 

The post Portal: Revolution is a free fan-made mod that’s picking up steam appeared first on Destructoid.

Let's just get this out of the way: Valve is probably not going to make Portal 3 (boy is my face going to be red if I turn out?? to be wrong years from now). However, we can enjoy the fruits of the modding community that are keeping the fra??nchise alive.

One such example comes from James Lambert, a coder who's just declared that their Portal 64 project is now out of beta. Or at least the first 13 chambers are, which is being referred to as the "First Slice." You can download the project (in ROM form) in its current form here.

In the above video, Lambert goes over some of the things that have changed since the previous iterations. One of the more obvious ones is the higher polygon count for the portals themselves. There's also? a lot of talk about Z-buffering, if you're into that sort of thing.

The flour-based sweet treat is most certainly not an untruth

For those who don't know, Portal 64 is essentially a remake of the first Portal game that Lambert has been working on for some time. It's essentially an attempt to recreate Valve's classi?c from the ground up to make it run on the Nintendo 64 hardware. A console that came out in the mid-90s.

In that regard, it?'s more of a "demake." But the result is something pretty astounding, given the processing power? that's being worked with.

Along the way, Lambert has built up quite a following. We get shown an N64 cartridge/game box combo that one fan has made, while another has customized a console with a Portal theme. Lambert also promises that more chambers will be added, so the project could end up being a full re??creation of the entire game. Wit??h nostalgia a-plenty.

The post Portal 64 project?? now out of beta, with more to come appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're tired of waiting around for a third Portal game, there is a (s??ort of) solution out there. Until Valve takes it upon itself to carry on with the series, fans ?will take the reins in an unofficial capacity. And that's exactly what's happened here.

Portal: Revolution is not exactly a threequel to the Portal universe. Instead, it's actually a prequel that takes place before the events of the second game. Brought to us by Second Face Software, this mod comes complete with eight hours of gameplay, which includes more than 40 new test chambers. You can also check out the special "100,000 trailer views" Q&A video while you're at it.

The above trailer almost looks like an official new entry or something Valve would put together. As a community project, it definitely looks impressive, fitting in between the two installments with its own story and characters. It should be noted that you will need a legitimate copy of Portal 2 before you can use this free mod.

The modding community strikes again

You can always depend on the fan base to keep video game universes alive. Portal 2 recently got its own VR mode, thanks to the dedicated community, which is good seeing as Portal 3 is probably never going to happen. Prove me wrong though, Valve. Prove me wrong.

We've circled this proverbial airport many times before, especially when it comes to Half-Life. The continuation of Gordon Freeman's story is a dream many are struggling t??o hold onto these days.

Without any official sequels in the make that we're aware of, we can at least take solace in the unofficial stuff that's out there. Portal: Revolution is just one example of people showing they're not ready to accept Valve's unwillingness to bring us something new (Half-Life: Alyx notwithstanding, of course).

The post Portal: Revolution is a mod that’s keeping the Portal universe alive appeared first on Destructoid.

We'll likely never see a third entry in Valve's puzzle magnum opus. But that's okay, because Portal 2 is a magnificent beast that maybe doesn't need improving on. However, one way it can be improved a little bit is with virtual rea?lity.

As spotted by DSO Gaming, modder Gistix has released an early version of their Portal 2 mod that makes the game compatible with VR headsets. You can download it right now from GitHub, with version 0.1.5 having released?? just a few hours ago.

It's still a work in progress, but it at least? gives you a chance to take on the test chambers of Aperture Science in a more immersive e?nvironment.

GLaDOS would approve

If you don't have a VR headset, the embedded video above gives you an idea of what it would be lik??e to play the game using one. Perhaps it's?? not the same as actually playing it, but it offers a glimpse into Gistix's mod.

It doesn't specify which headset in par?ticular it's compatible with. Presumably it will work with any?? device you plug into your PC, so long as it meets certain requirements.

The question of whether there'll ever be a Portal 3 has been on people's minds for years now. We know that Valve has a tough time breaking out those third installments, so seeing Portal 2 in VR may be the closest ??thing we'll find for now.

The post You can now play Portal 2 in VR thanks to a mod appeared first on Destructoid.

Rise and shine, Valve fans. Rise and shine.

People love Valve games as much as the company seems t??o hate making them. Valve has changed not just ga??ming but how we buy games, and has one of the most fervent followings in the history of video game companies. We just know everyone will agree with everything we have to say here.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVDFJRM6F9k

10. Aperture Desk Job

Valve likes to make up for games that never come out by just releasing other games that nobody even knew were in the making. That's the story of Aperture Desk Job, a sma??ll but hilarious experience meant to introduce people to the then-new Steam Deck.

Once again, Desk Job puts players in the first-person perspective, but there's a twist. We no longer play as a silent hero, but rather as one silent employee of the company responsible for the portal gun and other less interesting things. What do players have to do? Uncover a huge conspiracy and prevent the company from opening a portal that will bring aliens to our world? Nope, we have to test the toilets. Only Valve would put players through such a cheeky task, bu??t damn, do they pull it off. It's unlikely anyone will forget this hilarious little treat.

Strengths: It provides fun additions to the whole Portal lore. Also, it's free.

Weaknesses: It's not the com?plete Valve experience that players have so desperat??ely been waiting for.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2W0N3uKXmo

9. Half-Life: Alyx

While not exactly a game that came out of nowhere, Alyx came out shortly after its reveal, so it also counts as a nice treat.? A nice, beautiful, engrossing blockbuster treat?.

Alyx shows Valve at its most economically adventurous, a company risking it all to make a AAA experience for the much trickier VR gaming market. Alyx invites players not just to see City 17 but to experience it like never before. Alyx takes place a short while before the events of Half-Life 2, and makes the best possible use of the interaction capabilities provided by VR?? to make City 17 as darkly engrossing as anything we've ever seen in a game.

Strengths: Finally, an authentic AAA VR experience. SPOILERS:?? it presents itself as a prequel but also plants some interesting seeds for the future of the series.

Weaknesses: Some repetitive puzzles. Not everyone can afford VR???. Only a relatively low percentage of the gaming population will get to experience it, which may also affect investment in future projects of this kind and size.

[caption id="attachment_198925" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Valve[/caption]

8. Dota 2

The original Dota may have kickstarted the MOBA craze, but it was Dota 2 that perfected it. Tired of the classic's look and of League Of Legends' "simpler" gameplay? Then step?? it up and join this beautifully unforgiving arena.

Dota 2 made Dota go from the most ancient-looking MOBA to the most beautiful of the bunch. It's not just surface-level stuff, though, as mechanics such as "denying" add numerous layers that make Dota 2 by far the most challenging MOBA in existence. If there's one fair complaint to be made about this game, it's that i??t might prove too demanding for people trying to get i??nto it without previous MOBA experience.

Strengths: A massive update of the classic Dota. It's not League Of Legends.

Weaknesses: Might prove too challenging for more casual MOBA fans. It can get just as toxic as League Of Legends.

[caption id="attachment_237727" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Valve[/caption]

7. Left 4 Dead 2

we feel safe ranking L4D2 instead of the original because no one will call it an inferior sequel. L4D2 ate the entirety of the original Left 4 Dead and features its entire campaign. That's especially good considering how the original L4D showed the world that four-player co-op shooting games rock. On top of all the hopefully-friendly banter, L4D2 showers players with amounts of quality z??ombie action never seen before �or si??nce.

Left 4 Dead 2 is yet another top game in a Valve franchise that might inexplicably never get a 3rd entry. That sucks because it's already so good that we just need new campaigns. Come on, those are probably not as hard to make as a new Portal or Half-Life game.

Strengths: The most fun 4-player co-op experience you can have. Don't agree? Fine, you can play any of the hundreds of similar games that exist because of L4D2.

Weaknesses: ??Accidentally responsible for the swarm of zombie media that took over after 2009.

[caption id="attachment_370730" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Valve[/caption]

6. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

CSGO is the Valve-made sequel to the original Counter-Strike, the Half-Life mod that changed competitive gaming forever. This triumph combined graphics superior to those of the otherwise maligned Counter-Strike: Source wi??th a more refined version of the ??original's gameplay.

We ask purists not to get mad at this choice. The original CS could very well have occupied this spot instead of CSGO, but it wasn't originally developed by Valve.

Strengths: The tigh??test and most impor??tant competitive shooter in history.

Weaknesses: The community can get very tox??ic and its cosmetics market fuels some shady gambling operations.

[caption id="attachment_367706" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via teamfort?ress YouTube? Channel[/caption]

5. Team Fortress 2

Ever heard of "The Seinfeld Effect"? It's that feeling of disappointment some go through when they watch Seinfeld after having watched dozens of sitcoms inspired by Seinfeld. Why isn't the show as funny as everyone said it would be? Well?, it's just as fun, it's just not new anymore, and many?? newer shows might have improved upon some of its aspects.

Why did we write an entire paragraph that has nothing to do with games? Because Team Fortress 2 doesn't suffer from that effect. Even th?ough it completely redefined and reinvigorated the class-based shooter o??ver ten years ago, it's yet to feel anything other than fresh by anyone getting into it. So long as they avoid the bot-filled servers, that is.

Strengths: Probably the most fun class-based shooter in existence. It gave birth to Overwatch and, perhaps more importantly, who knows, Battleborn. 

Weaknesses: Playing ?it nowa??days could be challenging as many servers are swarming with troll bots.

[caption id="attachment_195772" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Valve[/caption]

4. Portal 2

We know Portal 2 ranks atop most of the Internet'??s Valve best-of ranki?ngs, but please hear us out.

When it comes to gameplay, yes, the additions Valve brought in for Portal 2 make it a better game than the first one. Still, what cemented the first game as a masterpiece was its meticulous balance between gameplay and story. We're not saying the writing in Portal 2 is bad. It's great, actually.

The problem lies with the character progression of GLaDOS, which features some? unnecessary retcons that kill the wickedly vile essence the character had in the original ??game. Other than that, yeah, it's an all-time great.

Strengths: Bigger and better than the first gameplay-wise.

Weaknesses: Some plot retcons cheapen t??he (stil??l great) experience.

3. Half-Life

Half-Life shows Valve at its most brilliantly counterintuitive. It changed everyone's perception of what a shooter should ?be. It taught kids and ?adults alike that cerebral action in a more carefully planned out campaign can provide just as much fun as mindlessly shooting enemies.

It also revolutionized video game storytelling. Half-Life began the trend of ditching conventional cutscenes to instead just show everything happening in front of the player. This approach?? makes players feel like they're right there in the middle of the action in a way that even Hollywood blockbusters fail to achieve.

Strengths: more inventive gameplay than you'd expect from a s??hooter. Way more of a narrative than you?'d expect from a shooter.

Weaknesses: many fans point to the final segments in the world of Xen as a less-accomplished part of the game, but we actually welcome the attempt at something even weirder than the rest of the game.

[caption id="attachment_271509" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Valve[/caption]

2. Portal

If Half-Life made the world better by showing that first-person shooters needn't be all about shooting, then Portal further improved it by showing that first-person games don't even need to be shooters. How did Portal pull off ??such a feat? It's simple, the game just introduced never-before-seen mind-blowingly revolutionary instant-travel mechanics that blew all of our minds and elevated the bar when it comes to gameplay.

And just as important as the whole "impossibly cool tech" is the story that resides at its heart. Games tend to struggle with ??comedy. This one excels not just at it, but even at implementing great comedy in an unbelievably bleak sci-fi setting.

Strengths: Some of the best writing we've ever seen �yes, even outside of games. Revolutionary mechanics paired with meticulous level design. The most fun villain in the h??istory of video games.

Weaknesses: One could call it sho??rt, but it's definitely a Short King.

//youtu.be/4ddJ1OKV63Q

1. Half-Life 2 

Saying that Half-Life 2 changed th??e world would be doing it a disservice. Hell, the game's first E3 tech demo was enough to do that.

Physics manipulation as a serious gameplay element, realistic facial animations, the best graphics of its time, HDR, and one of the most engrossing campaigns in the history of video games. Half-Life 2 was everything. Was there ever really any doubt? In fairness, there could have been. Did you know even Half-Life's own father, Gabe Newell, doesn't rank Half-Life 2 atop his Valve ranking?

GabeN adm??its frustration over many of the decisions the team made during development, but, as people who merely experienced the end product, it's hard to not just ask "Wha?t the hell are you talking about, man?".

Strengths: It elevated the storytelling and worldbuilding of the original game. It showed that physics manipulation rocks, which means it's somewhat responsible for all the cool things we can do in Tears Of The Kingdom. Its online Deathmatch mode is very fun and incredibly underrated.

Weaknesses: The story still yearns for a conclus?ion (wink wink).

The post Top 10 best games developed by Valve, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm bad, and that's good

Heroes get a lot of love. The main character of a game is, by their very nature, the star of the show. But a great villain is often even more compelling than a great hero - everyone wants to save the world, but it takes a special so?ul to want to destroy it??.

It's almost impossible to whittle a list of iconic video game villains down to just ten. It would be easy to simply point to the villains from games that sold really well, but that's not really what it means to be iconic. So I tried my hardest to compile a list of ten video game villains who are real icons; the? ones who stand tall in the world of gaming, whose silhouettes are enough to send shivers down your spine.

[caption id="attachment_358899" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

10. Ridley - Metroid

The Metroid games have all sorts of great villains, but if you want to talk about iconography, Ridley's your guy. This nasty space dragon has done battle with Samus Aran on nearly every?? single one of her many adventures. To be fair, Samus has a pretty good reason to want? Ridley dead: he killed her parents way back when.

Secretly, though, I? think Samus got over that a while ago. She just wants to flex about beating the same alien pterodactyl like a dozen times.

[caption id="attachment_356767" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Nintendo[/caption]

9. Sephiroth - Final Fantasy VII

If you asked ten people who played Final Fantasy VII what Sephiroth's motive was, you'd probably only get three answers, and you'd be pretty lucky if one of them was correct. Honestly, it's hard to remember much about Sephiroth himself. He wears that really cool coat, he's got a huge sword, and he's a weirdly chill co-worker in Crisis Core, but that's about it. He's not even really the main villain of Final Fantasy VII Remake. So how does a character like that wind up on a "most iconic" list? Why does Sephiroth keep cropping up in Final Fantasy VII spinoffs and crossover events?

To answer that question, I'd like to give you a few instructions. First, I want you to open up a new ta?b on your computer. Now head on over to YouTube, and type in "One-Winged Angel Distant Worlds." Go ahead and click on any of the first three results. See? Iconic.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVZVo2J53TM

8. Albert Wesker - Resident Evil

Looking at Albert Wesker now, it's kind of hard to believe that Resident Evil briefly tried to trick us into thinking ?he was a nice guy. See those sunglasses? Those are?? very evil sunglasses.

Wesker is such a classic villain. He meddles in things beyond his understanding, he gets arrogant about playing God, he throws his buddies under the bus. Even his death is incredible - how many guys can make it through multiple self-engin??eered zombie apocalypses just to get launched into a volcano by a missile explosion? Just one. And his name is Albert Wesker.

[caption id="attachment_358901" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Capcom[/caption]

7. Dr. Wily - Mega Man

Speaking of guys who love t?o play God, who could forget Dr. Wily? This old weirdo has one of my favorite backstories in all of video games. He had a friend in college, his friend was smarter than him, so he got mad a??????????????????????????nd moved to the ocean to build world-dominating robots. Who wouldn't?

Mega Man games are great on their own, but they're even better for their wrinkly antagonist and his stupid petty robo-army. Now, only one question remains: where is Dr. Wily?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMTizJemHO8

6. Dracula - Castlevania

Maybe it's cheating to include Dracula on this list. I mean, he's Dracula. Of course he's iconic. But Castlevania's version of Dracula is a very specific take on the character, and one who's surely earned?? his place in the rankings. He's a frightening and sinister foe, and as if his long-standing anti-Belmont policy wasn't bad enough, he's also an awful fat?her.

But, I mean, you've gotta give h?im credit for that dope line about miserable little piles of secrets. What a cool guy.

[caption id="attachment_358903" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Valve[/caption]

5. GLaDOS - Portal

I have a feeling that anyone who's ever heard a single line from GLaDOS would include her on this list. You don't need to have finished Portal, or even played very much of it, to ??appreciate GLaDOS.

Ellen McLain's performance as GLaDOS in the original Portal is one of the best pieces of video game voice-acting ever, and she delivers similarly impressive results in every other Portal project and crossover. She's so deliciously cruel to Chell, both as a demanding taskmaster and as a very rude friend, and the amazingly resentful songs that play over the credits of both Portal games only se?rve to cement her as one of gaming's greatest bad ??guys.

[caption id="attachment_358905" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Konami YouTube[/caption]

4. Pyramid Head - Silent Hill

..Sorry, Masahiro Ito.

[caption id="attachment_358906" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screensh??ot via The Pokém??on Company YouTube[/caption]

3. Team Rocket - Pokémon

Team Rocket rules. Why does this organization of super-criminals have such a bone to pick with one random kid? Why is their plan for world domination centered entirely around children's sporting events? What, exactly, are they plan??ning on doing once they've stolen all the most expensive pets in the world? How will that materially help them?

I don't know. But I'm glad they're out there trying, because I think they're very funny. They're also undeniably iconic. While they're only the main villains in two generations, they've been cropping up in remakes for years, and they even made a full reappearance as a secondary villain team in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

[caption id="attachment_358907" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via SEGA[/caption]

2. Dr. Eggman - Sonic the Hedgehog

You can call this guy "Dr. Robotnik" if you want, but he'll always be Dr. Eggman to me. He's a man who kinda?? looks like an egg. It just makes sense.

Ever since Dr. Eggman first started putting animals inside of robot suits, he's been one of the most ridiculous villains in the medium. That's fitting, given that his nemesis is a hedgehog who can move really quickly. There have been other Sonic villains, but I'd bet good money that you can't name three of them. Dr. Eggman, on the other hand, is a true icon. He's been given deeper characterization since his first a?ppearance, but players have been enamored by this rotund rabbit trapper from minute one.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=03bAayBtcb0

1. Bowser - Super Mario Bros.

Was this ??spot ever going to belong to anyo?ne else? Bowser, the big lizard who hates plumbers, is one of the greatest villains ever. He's also probably the only character on this list my grandpa would recognize, which is a huge argument in favor of his iconography.

Sure, Bowser has oscillated back and forth between "kidnapper" and "reluctant buddy," but at the end of the day, this guy can only be called a villain, and a very good one at that. Any dinosaur who can be a doting dad, a piece of paper, a tyrant king, a go-karting superstar, and Dennis Hopper is okay in my book.

The post 10 m?os?t iconic video game villains of all time, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Check out these Halloween pumpkins with a nerdy twist

I'm not much of a pumpkin-carver myself, but one of the my favorite Halloween activities is seeing ever??yone post their cool jack-o'-lanterns online. It's all of the fun of a time-honored tradition with none of the work or mess, so that's a win-win in my book?. While there are some pretty impressive carvings out there, obviously the best ones are the gaming-themed gourds, and there are plenty of them out there. This year, I scoured Reddit in search of the best pumpkins so you don't have to, and I have to say that I'm pretty pleased with the selection this year.

Cult of the Lamb

Starting off strong with one of my favorite games of the year, this pumpkin features the titular character of Cult of the Lamb, the?? adorably twisted roguelike/management sim. This carving is complete with bleeding eyes and his little hat, but the ??best part is that the back of the pumpkin is carved with the symbols of all four heretic prophets. Major points for the attention to detail!

//www.reddit.com/r/?gaming/co?mments/yfezqe/worship_lamb/

Pac-Man

Pac-Man is one of the most well-loved games of all time, so it's only natural it would pop up on this list more than once. This jack-o'-lantern in particular features one of the game's four ghosts, and has the bottom of the pumpkin carved out to make the? little guy look like he's floating. I have no idea how they managed to suspend the light ??inside, but it looks awesome.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/??y997bq/pacman_ghost_made_for_a_work_pumpkin_contest/

Resident Evil Village

It wouldn't be Halloween with a Resident Evil-themed pumpkin, and this one features the giantess that broke the internet: Lady Dimitrescu. I'm honestly surprised at how well her likeness transferred onto a seasonal fruit, b?ut sure enough, it's unmistakably her. Couldn't miss her with that cleavage and that hat.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yfrezr/lady?_dimitrescu_pumpkin_i_c?arved_this_year/

Fallout

This next one isn't so much a pumpkin carving as it is a pumpkin painting, but it's definitely in the spirit of things, so I'm including it. A Fallout fan painted his pumpkin so that it depicted the Vault Boy in his classic thumbs up pose, and he even has the matching t-shirt to boot. A painted design looks like a great alternative for someone who doesn't want to spend half the night mopping up pumpkin? guts, so I might have to follow suit next year.

//www.re?ddit.com/r/gaming/comments/y6j8wx/vault_boy_pumpkin_i_painted/

Portal

Okay, this Portal pumpkin has to be my favorite of the year. Not only is it from one of my favorite game series of all time, but this turret pumpkin carving has to be one of the most creative jack-o'-lantern designs I've ever seen. The creator actually 3D printed all of the plastic pieces featured (and provided the plans for anyone who wants to replicate it), and actually posted a video of the build. This is a triumph, huge success.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yfzhl8/i_made_my?_pumpkin_into_a_portal_turret_??for/

The Legend of Zelda

//www??.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/y5xoxe/i_carved_link?_into_a_pumpkin/

It's great to see another classic game series represented, and this pumpkin was carved with all of the elegance the series deserves. It may be a bit simple compared to some of the other jack-o'-lanterns on this list, but it's got to be one of the cleanest. The simple, cartoony depiction of Breath of the Wild Link is so well carved, I can't imagine how much time it took to?? refine.

Half-Life, Pac-Man, and Chess

What's better than a jack-o'-lantern? Four jack-o'-lanterns! An entire family carved their pumpkins together to depict their favorite games, featuring the Half-Life logo, a depiction of Pac-Man chasing a ghost, and what was going to be a chess board, the poster clarified in the comments, but end??ed up being a cool-looking geometric design. There's also a little mini pumpkin in the mix, and while I don't think the owl is a nod to any game in particular, it is absolutely adorable.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yf9s3h/check_out_my_familys_pumpkins_min??e_is_the/

Minecraft and Among Us

Pretty much all of the Halloween pumpkin carvings on this list look like they could have been done by a professional, but these pumpkins actually were -- the Minecraft and Among Us pumpkins are part of an event called Carved at the Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, California. The meticulously detailed jack-o'-lanterns are some of the best I've ever s?een, and I understand why peop??le would pay money to see gardens full of pumpkins like these.

//www.reddit.com/r/ga?ming/com?ments/yb8ny8/gaming_pumpkins_carved_descanso_gardens/

Luigi's Mansion

Luigi's Mansion is a perfect game to represent on a Halloween pumpkin, because what could be more Halloween-y than a big spooky house full of ghosts. Not only does the front have a classically-terrif??ied Luigi mid-scream, but also features a boo carved into the back, which illuminates the wall behind with its spooky silhouette. Great idea, even better execution!

//www.reddi??t.com/r/gaming/comments/yfmzvn/my_?jack_olantern_this_year/

Well, that's our list of the best gaming Hal??loween pumpkins of the year. Are there any we missed? Do you carve your own gaming j?ack-o'-lanterns? What's your favorite game you'd want to see carved into the side of a gourd? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Here are the?? best gaming-themed pumpkin carvings th??is Halloween appeared first on Destructoid.

Retrovertigo

As part of this morning's Nintendo Direct presentation, it was announced that the iconic, smash-hit puzzle platformers Portal and Portal 2 are hitting the Switch platform in the form of Portal: Companion Collection.? Even be??tter news, the irreverent, brain-teasing title will land on the eShop today!

//youtu.be/wMQASUA_1Do

Portal Companion Collection compiles 2007 hit Portal along with its 2011 follow-up �the two classics are freshly repackaged for their release on Nintendo's hybrid console. Return to the terrifying Aperture Science Enrichment ?Center and utilize the power of physics, gravity, and portals to guide our hero out of her cell, out of the system, and out of the hazardous clutches of the scarily sentient overseer,? GLaDOS.

Combining dark humor, genuine pathos, and some fantastic lateral thinking shenanigans, the Portal games became instant classics upon release and have only welcomed more disciples into their twisted coven in the ensuing 15 years. Already available on practically every platform under the sun, this new compilation of two of gaming's finest and most beloved puzzlers will allow Switch players to set their heads fizzing and spinning whilst in bed, on a commute, or simply out and abo??ut. Just watch your step.

Portal: Companion Collection launches on the Nintendo eShop today for $19.99.

The post Break out the cake: Por?tal Companion Collection hits Switch today appeared first on Destructoid.

Respect the drip

One of the principles of good character design is recognizability, and part of that is what a character is wearing. Can you tell which character it's supposed to be just based on their outfit? Better yet, can you tell who they are based on one article of clothing? It's n?ot a coincidence that the most iconic pieces of clothing in video games also come from some of the best titles ever made.

Fashion has been a pretty casual hobby for me, but it really is something I love �the clothes we choose to wear can tell the world?? so much about us, an?d in this case, the clothes that the developers choose for the characters in games tell us a lot about them.

Some examples that immediately come to mind for me are Chell's jumpsuit from Portal, Clementine's hat from The Walking Dead, or Mayor Lewis' purple shorts from Stardew Valley �you know the ones.

[caption id="attachment_331312" align="aligncenter" width="633"] _{Clementine's hat from The Walking Dead.}[/caption]

The great thing about iconic video game clothing is that a good deal of it is wearable in real life, so we get a bunch of awesome replicas of memorable pieces. I'm also a huge fan of stealthy merch that has a cool design, but would only be recognized as something from a video game if you know about that game. Insert Coin Clothing makes some awesome stuff in that vein, and for that reason it's been a favorite of mine for years �it's where I got my replica of Joel's green flannel from The Last of Us, among other things.

Our favorite fits come to life

Of course, for those who have a little bit more disposable income, there are more upscale options for real-life video game clothes. Disco Elysium's developer ZA/UM has put out a line of clothes from the game, which is fitting considering the clothes become a pretty significant piece of the gameplay. The replica of Kim Kitsuragi's orange bomber jacket has been livin?g rent-free in my mind since it dropped a while back, but I haven't had the opportunity to snag it due?? to its price point and the fact that it sells out so damn fast.

[caption id="attachment_331313" align="alignnone" width="1024"] _{Leon's jacket from Resident Evil 4 (2023).}[/caption]

If you're really looking to flex on your gamer friends, American retailer Schott has a real-life version of Leon Kennedy's classic wool and suede bomber jacket from the Resident Evil 4 remake, which fans spotted after the company had a disclaimer at the end of the game's reveal trailer. Leon's jacket is officially called the Classic B-3 Sheepskin Leather Bomber Jacket, and it's availab??le via Schott's website for a tight $1,500. I'm not really sure if Schott designed the jacket after the game, or if Capcom used the design for the remake, but either way, it looks like it would make for a pretty sweet fit.

These are just the video game clothes that I love, but? the list goes on and on from here. We want to know, what are your favorite articles of clothing from a video game? Do you own any? Is there anything you wish you could wear, even if it seems impossible?

Let's discuss in the comments below!

The post What’s your favorite piece of iconic video game clothing? appeared first on Destructoid.

And we're right there with him

It's been over eleven years since Portal 2 was released, and it looks like the fans aren't the only ones who are clamoring for Valve to start on a follow-up to one of its most beloved games ever. Erik Wolpow, co-writer of both of the Portal games, as well as plenty of other famous Valve titles like Left 4 Dead and Half-Life: Alyx, went on the Kiwi Talkz Podcast this week and urged Valve to start work on Portal 3, as originally reported by VGC.

His exact words were: "I am not getting any younger. We are reaching the point where it’s crazy to think [that we’re] literally going to be too old to work on Portal 3, so we should just do it.�/p>

First off, I think Wolpow is hilarious, and I think from this interview it's really easy to tell that he wrote the Portal games. I also think it's cool that he wants to come back, because it shows how much ??he really en?joyed working on those games. His comments also show that while he may have been instrumental in creating the game series we know and love, his wish for another sequel alone isn't enough to get the ball rolling at the studio.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzkVD94yAmA

Wolpow goes on to discuss that a lot of fans ar??e wo??ndering what the team over at Valve is actually working on, but assures us it's not all for nothing.

"As much as it seems like Valve often [is] just a bunch of people sitting around sipping gin and tonics by a pool, everybody’s working," he said. "They’re working all the time, it’s just you don’t always see the [result], it doesn’t always end up coming out, or? it comes out years later, it gets turned into something else. So everybody is? accounted for, I guess is what I’m saying."

This constant shifting and changing of plans is a classic tale of game developme??nt, and Valve has enough of that sweet Steam money to keep the lights on while they try to figure out their next move.

I'm with Wolpow �if they ever want to make another Portal game, they need to do it soon, and they need to do it with him and the rest of the original dev team?? while they still can. I get the feeling that any other attempt won't be as successful.

The post Origina????????????????????????????l Portal co-writer urges Valve to start making Portal 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Finally, I can bring GLaDOS on the go!

Portal is one of my favorite game series of all time. It's challenging, it's funny, and it's exactly the kind of bombastic romp I miss in AAA games right now. As announced during today's Nintendo Direct, I can finally take the Portal series on the go with me, because both titles are being ported to the Switch in the Portal: Companion Collection. According to Valve, this will include both full single-player experiences, as well as the co-op mode from Portal 2, which will be playable via split-scre??en, local, ?or online multiplayer.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWUoIa3PNIw

I'm shocked that it took this long for Valve to port out these games, considering their continued popularity. Portal 2 just celebrated its ten year anniversary last year, and the first Portal game came out all the way back in 2007. Even if the wait was long, I think it'll be worth it to get to play through the?? games again on my favorite console. Better late than never!

Portal: Companion Collection will be retailing for $19.99, and will we available for the Nintendo Switch sometime?? ??in 2022.

The post Portal: Companion Collection brings the series to Ninten?do Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

I just know GLaDOS would have something funny to say about this

When it comes to gaming these days, I feel like I've kind of seen it all. Any kind of crazy trick shot you can think of? Check the Call of Duty: Warzone compilations. Someone hacking into a meeting of the Italian senate and playing Final Fantasy porn? That's just the normal news cycle. Bugs that turn characters into spaghetti monsters in the middle of a dramatic cutscene? That was my day job. At this point, it doesn't feel like anything can surprise me anymore �which is why it's nice to get a reminder of how far the industry has come every once in a while. That's exactly what happened when I logged onto Reddit today and saw a post of a guy juggling through portals (a la Portal) in VR.

It's not something I've come across before, but it certainly didn't surprise me to see. The title of the post, as well as the comments, point out just how impressive this video is, and reading through them made me take pause and think a little bit more about how much gaming technology has advanced, even in the past few years. Juggling is hard enough as is, but doing it in virtual reality through a set of portals �well I imagine that took a ton of practice.

//?www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/smskrn/this_guy_being_able_to_juggling_through_por??tals/

Apparently this is actually a Portal mod of Half-Life: Alyx, which also isn't surprising consider??ing how well received that game was, especially?? for its physics simulation.

Once you get past the awe of this guy being able to do this without hitting his controllers together, you get to thinking ?about how complicated the whole thing is �the simulated physics of the balls that he's able to juggle in real time, the added complexity of the portals, the fact that he's able to do this all in real time with his actual hands because of the VR of it. It's a bunch of small things, but they add up into something that the earliest game developers couldn't have even dreamed o??f.

As tired as I am of seeing asinine content on the internet, sometimes it just takes something si??mple, like a guy juggling through portals in VR, to remind us that we have it pretty good, as far as video games are concerned.

The post This guy juggl??ing through portals in VR shows how fa?r gaming has come appeared first on Destructoid.

How are you holding up? Because I'm on your ceiling.

There was a time when making props from movies, games, or comics was something to be left to the professionals, but with how accessible and affordable 3D printing is these days, fans are making elaborate pieces from the comfort of their own homes. That's exactly what this fan of Portal did when he decided to make a two-foot-tall replica of GLaDOS that he 3D printed, painted, and hung themselves. It doesn't look like a simplified version of our favorite AI villainess, either �she's complete with all of the wires and guts that make ??her what she is.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/sj7rl6/i_printed_painted_and_hung_a_2_foot_tall_glad?os/

The original poster doesn't disclose too much information about what went into this?? massive project, but they did say that it took them 150 hours over the course of two years to complete!

Plenty of other Reddit users had suggestions on how to further improve the project, like adding a light-up eye with motion sensors so she wakes up and speaks to anyone who might walk by, but it sounds like OP is planning to somehow sync her up to their Portal game, so that sh?e insults them whenever they die. They hung it directly over their computer desk, too so there's really no escapi?ng her.

As a huge fan of the Portal series myself, this is one of the coolest pieces of gaming memorabilia I've seen as of late. The fact that hobbyists can download the plans for a project like this and make it at home in a way that's fairly inexpensiv??e says so much about how far the technology has really come.

I know that personally I wouldn't want to hang a giant GLaDOS over my head because she would definitely freak me?? out, but I'm happier for knowing that t?his exists out in the world.

The post This Portal fan 3D ??printed a two-foot-tall replica of GLaDOS appeared first on Destructoid.

You gotta start somewhere

Holiday shopping can be pretty difficult, especially when you have really different interests and hobbies than your non-gamer friends or family. Gift-giving can, however, be a great opportunity to introduce your loved ones to the magic of gaming,? because there's nothing better than helping someone understand your passions and then enjoying them together.

The only thing is, if you're going to get someone a game who has never tried them before, you've got to make sure it's the right one?, lest you risk putting them off of games forever. To give you some handy suggestions, or at least get you thinking on the right track, here's our list as some of the best newb-friendly games to gift to your favorite non-gamers this holiday season.

1. Minecraft

When taking into account different types of potential players, Minecraft is an all-arounder when it comes to game r??ecommendations. It can appeal to people who just want to chill out in creative mode and build something cool, as well as those who want to challenge themselves with survival mode.

There are also a plethora of mods out there that can cater to all kinds of niche interests, so you can customize the game to be appealing to anyone in your life. To top it all off, it's also a great way to help someone learn gaming controls in a low-stakes, l?ow-p??ressure environment.

2. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a great choice for a new player because of its more casual feel. The game never rushes or forces you to do anything in particular �you can play it ho??wever you want. The mechanics are also simple and relaxing (with the exception of combat, but new players can work their way up to that), and do a good job of easing the player in as they learn.

There's also the benefit of it being a 2D game, so you don't have to worry about dealing with the whole moving-and-looking-at-the-s?ame-time thing if that's a stumbling block. Just make sure you set them up with the practice fishing rod at the start, and your buddy should have an awesome time.

3. Pokémon

I kind of missed the Pokémon train the first time around, but after playing Sword & Shield, I have to agree with my friends that say this series is a great way to introduce someone to turn-based combat or JRPGs. Having cute little critters to collect makes for a fun, easily understandable objective, and you don't have to be amazing at the game to progress, especially with the newer entries in the series. I've heard Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee! can be a ?great place to start, but you're probably fine if you try?? any mainline series entries that have come out in the last decade.

4. Telltale's The Walking Dead

Telltale's The Walking Dead is a great choice because while it does introduce new characters, it's part of a franchise that n?on-gamers are already?? familiar with. It's even structured like a TV show with its episodes, which also divide what is overall a longer game into manageable chunks.

The ?gameplay itself is m?ostly limited to dialogue choices, but also includes some classic point-and-click adventure stuff �both of these factors can make it a great jumping-off point to try some other games that share these mechanics.

5. Portal

Portal is also a great game I reco??mmend to newbies, seeing as it's the game I played to learn shooting mechanics on a controller. Because it's a puzzle game that only has stationary turrets as enemies, you can really take your time as you try to figure out how the camera works. Some of the later levels require perfectly-timed shot??s, but by the time you get th??ere, you pretty much have the controls down.

There's also the fact that Portal has one of the best game stories out there, so in addition to helping a new player learn the ropes, they can also see some of the superb storytelling that games are capabl??e of. I'd just steer clear of this one for someone who is particularly puzzle-averse, because it can be pretty challenging to figure out some of the solutions.

6. Journey

One of the problems I've run into while trying to recommend games to someone who has never played them is how long most of them take to complete, but Journey negates this issue by having a run time of about two hours. What better way to convince?? a skeptic than to have them play a great game t??hat's no longer than a movie?

Journey is also new player-friendly because of its fluid, relaxing gameplay. There are no enemies to be seen, so your friends shouldn't have any issues making it to the end. The game is known for its gorgeous visual style and music as well, so if you show someone Journey, they know they're getting some of the best that gaming has to? offer.

7. Overcooked

Want to be able to play alongside that friend or family member while they learn the ropes? No problem! Overcooked is a great option �while things can get a bit hectic a??s you pr?ogress through the levels, the game is designed to be easy to pick up and understand. Considering it's one of those games where you can see yourself mastering it as you go along, it can make for a good confidence booster before throwing your new player into the deep end.

8. Firewatch

Firewatch is such a fun ride, but in different ways than you might expect. The gameplay is super simple, and mostly involves walking around and interacting with items. The real star of the show here is its story, particularly its voice acting, which can make it the perfect option for?? someon??e who prefers a more narrative-based experience, if that's something your new gamer is into.

I know for me, story games were a great way to initially get into the hobby, and then I started trying out some more gameplay-heavy games once I learned the ropes. Firewatch also has the benefit of helping players learn the controls at their own pace, similar to Portal.

9. What Remains of Edith Finch

Many of the principles that apply to Firewatch are also in play here. What Remains of Edith Finch is in the upper echelon of game stories, in my opinion, so it's another excellent choice for tho?se who like storytelling.

It also just ha??s some really clever gameplay sections that I think showcase some of the best narrative design in the industry. It's wistful and moving, and is y??et another relatively short play that can help you learn controls, so this one is a must for new players.

10. Uncharted 2

If you have a buddy who loves action movies and just wants to feel like a hero, Uncharted 2 is the way to go. I could be recommending the first Uncharted, but parts of that game haven't aged super well gameplay-wise (I'm looking at you??, j?et ski level), and the sequel is where Naughty Dog really hit their stride with the franchise, both in terms of narrative and gameplay.

You've got loveable characters, swashbuckling action, and puzzles that will make you stop and think, which makes it perfect for a movie buff. Plus, if they end up liking it, there are still four other Uncharted games they can go and play.

The post 10 newb-friendly?? games to gift to th??e non-gamers in your life appeared first on Destructoid.

A portal to innovation

Xbox is expanding its publishing arm today by bringing on a well-known creator, as Kim Sw??ift is joining Xbox Game Studios Publishing.

In a tweet today, Xbox confirms that Swift is joining to accelerate its innovation e?fforts and "collaborate with independent studios to build games for the?????????????????????????? cloud."

//twitter.co??m/XboxPublishing/status/1406989970380840963

Swift was notably the designer and project lead on Portal, and played a leading role in Left 4 Dead and its sequel, Left 4 Dead 2. She went on to launch Quantum Conundrum, and worked at several ot?her studios, including EA Motive.

Xbox recently hosted both its E3 2021 showcase and an extended Xbox Games Showcase last week, where it featured indie projects like the impressive-looking Replaced.

The post Po?rtal designer Kim Swift joins Xbox Game Studios Publishin?g appeared first on Destructoid.

How has it been a decade already?

_{[Narrated by Josh Picard]}

The year is 2011, and the haunting, distant sounds of the Aperture facility are reverberating through our unfinished basement. My brother's at basketball practice, I have free reign of the Xbox. I've spent the past half hour trying to solve this puzzle, but I'm not get??ting up until I solve it. "Hello, who's there?" the turrets chirp at me.

They always kind of creeped me out, but I push it aside and… aha! I climb up to the tallest platform in the room, throw myself off with reckless abandon, and land my portal at the last se??cond. Now I'm hurtling through the air, and land gracefully in front of th??e exit. I pump my fist, celebrating my victory, and feeling like the smartest kid in the world.

Back when Portal 2 first came out, you couldn't escape it. Kind of like Minecraft or Fortnite, it was one of those games that was everywhere. T-shirts, plushies, LEGO, stuff like that. My ninth-grade science teacher even had the Aperture Science safety posters on his classroom wall, which al?ways provided me with a fun read when I would get bored in class.

Even as someone who only tangentially knew about games at the time, I knew what Portal 2 was. "The cake is a lie" had already taken over the internet years before as a meme, and Let's Plays of the co-op were all over YouTube. Portal 2 wasn't just a game, it was a cultural touchstone, and one that has become as big a part of gaming history as Call of Duty or GTA.

Of course, that could be said about nearly every Valve game. Their catalog is one of the most impressive out there: Team Fortress, Half-Life, Dota, Left 4 Dead, Counter-Strike. Basically everything ??they touch turns to gold — especially Steam, but more on that later.

That being said, all these years later when I went to replay Portal 2, I thought, "surely this can't be as good as I? remember." I was so, so? wrong.

After learning that one of my close friends had never played it before, a small group of us decided it was worth watching him struggle through th??e puzzles as we facepalmed in the background. Besides, nothing says quarantine like a game where you're trapped in a science facility, right?

I was so impressed with how the game had held up, I decided to look up when it ?came out. April 18, 2011. Damn, ten whole years? It's pretty hard to believe, to the point that if someone wiped my memory, and told me it came out today, I would probably fall for it.

When I first picked up Portal 2 back when it came out, I hadn't heard of the se??ries before. I really wasn't gaming all ??that much either, as it was released when I was too busy with my nose in young adult books.

But I saw a commercial for Portal 2 on TV, and I knew right away it was something I wanted to try. So, I saved up my allowance and bought a copy to play on my brother's Xbox 360. I don't?? remember much about that playthrough, other than that I couldn't play it while I was home alone, because they nailed the un?canny, liminal feeling of the environments that creeped me out if no one else was there. It was crazy to have that feeling come rushing back to me, now sitting in my own apartment.

So when we decided on replaying, I was super excited about it. There's nothing better than a game that you remember really loving, but that's all you can remember. It's like having a clean slate so you can enjoy it all over a?gain for the ??first time.

And enjoy it, I did. Within the first minute or so we were already laughing, and I cannot stress enough how much I love writers Erik Wolpaw and Jay Pinkerton's work. There's this quick, witty humo?r they have going on that I can never seem to get enough of. The sheer volume of jokes is already am??azing, but the number of jokes that land is even more so (it's all of them).

One of my favorite jokes happens while the game is teaching you the controls right at the beginning, but I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't had the privilege of playing it yet. I just appreciate the fact that Portal 2 uses everything at its disposal to get a chuckle out of you, from the?? tutorial to the chapter titles to even the achievements.

For me though, I think my favorite part of the game is Stephen Merchant's performance as the idiotic AI Wheatley, the sequel's new addition to the series' minimal cast. Merchant is a prominent British comedian, best known for his appearance in the English (and original) version of The Office.

Valve designed and wrote Wheatley's character specifically with Merchant in mind, because he was just too perfect for the job, which is obvious to anyone who has played it. In an interview with IGN, Merchant said he accepted the role without thinking much of it, but when he started telling his friends about the role, he began to understand the kind of pressure?? he was under. "I was petrified," he tells the interviewer, "what if I blow it?"

As I'm sure ??you could assume from what you've read so far, he in fact did not blow it. His comedic timing and delivery are always perfect, plus the fact that any time he goes off on improvised monologues (which is often) they're always so random and hilarious yet perfectly in character.

The real dramatic challenge of Wheatley's arc, though, is being both wacky and idiotic while also being maniac?al, which Merchant yet again nails. Being a lovable villain is a fine line to walk, but Wheatley achieves it, just like GlaDOS before him.

As much as I could go on and on about how brilliant Merchant is, I? have to also give props to Ellen McLain's return as GlaDOS, as well as J.K. Simmons' portrayal of Cave Johnson. Perfect casting is a theme with Valve (especially considering they have enough money to get whoever they want for a role), and the writing always allows for the actors' undeniable talent to shine through.

The introduction of Cave and Caroline's characters, and the deep dive into Aperture's history, was such ?an interesting way to give the game a new flavor while at the same time keeping true to the feeling of the original and expanding the world's ?lore all at the same time.

_{[Image Credit: YouTube user AmbiAnts]}

The commitment, humor, and ease of these performances are truly awe-inspiring, and enough to cement the game's place as one of the best ever created in my book. But the voice acting is only one aspect of what makes Portal 2 so incredible.

The visual??s also hold up well, which is partially due to the fact that there aren't really any people on scree?n at any point. Attempts at photorealistic human faces seem to age the fastest in my opinion, so avoiding them all together definitely helps.

Even so, Valve seemed to go for a stylized version of reality that feels immersive and lifelike, but doesn't feel so cartoony that it takes you out of it. In our playthrough, I thin??k the?? only sign of aging we saw were a few textures popping in, but that was pretty minor.

Like the performances, another aspect that will always age like fine wine is the core game ??design itself. The puzzles are ridiculously, addictingly fun. I'm so glad I didn't remember any of them, because I had a blast trying to work them out all over ?again.

I remember thinking that I wish we had more momentum-based puzzle games, because there's a certain kind of thrill to flinging yourself off of?? a high platform to be catapulted toward the exit. The fact that the game's field of view is in first-person makes it all the more thrilling??.

Not only did the designers use the core ?portal mechanic intuitively, but there are so many other mechanics added on top of it, including some from the original game like cubes, emancipation grills, and turrets, as well as new ones like faith plates, the different kinds of gel, light bridges, ex?cursion funnels, lasers, and so on.

The thing about all of these different elements that I was so impressed with is how organically they are introduced and utilized as the puzzles increase in difficulty. When we hit the last few puzzles, I was so shocked to see how many different elements we were usi??ng to solve, and how all of them fit together so nicely. Valve, color me impressed, even after all these years.

Even when everything else fades away, and what used to seem shiny and ??new feels dated, that game design is always going to feel fun and exc?iting, which to me is what sets apart a good game from a truly great one.

The craziest part of this is that in early development, Valve was exploring other types of puzzle mechanics other than the portals. In an interview with Fast Company right after ??the game's release, Wolpaw revealed that they thought there might be more to explore within the Portal franchise, but they "discovered through playtesting that people wanted portals in their Portal 2 — and GlaDOS, and the whole vibe of the first game." Thank you playtesters, ?whoever you were.

I know I've spent this whole time talking about Portal 2's impeccable single-player game design, but I have to throw in a shout-out to th?e co-op mode too. There was no greater jo?y than dropping your buddy to their doom or squishing them in that one maze puzzle (you know the one) and I will forever be chasing that high.

_{[Image Credit: GameSpot]}

The other thing I got to thinking about was Portal 2's length — its run time clocks in somewhere around the eight-hour mark. I feel like recently, there's this idea in the games industry that the bigger a game is, the better. Just look at the hype surrounding the worlds of games like Cyberpunk, The Witcher, or GTA V.

I think a great example of the inflation of playtimes is Naughty Dog's Last of Us series: the first game would run you roughly twelve hours, while the sequel was 25 to 30 hours. The sequel's doubling of the original's run time was a selling point during Part II's marketing campaign last year, and touting a game's long run time see??ms to be mo??re and more common these days.

Now, that's not to say that these games are necessarily worse for being bigger or longer, it's just that when I was playing Portal 2, I couldn't help but notice how tight and ??polished the whole experience felt. As a write??r, I was so damn impressed because every line spoken by a character felt amazing — every joke landed, every emotional beat hit.

It felt like if you took away one sentence a character spoke you ?would miss something big. Spending hundreds of hours in a game can really be a blast, but sometimes I can't help but wish for more short games that pack a hard punch i?n a smaller window.

I've played a lot of games, but I really can't think of a studio that has Valve's command over game design. The people who worked on Portal, and so many other titles, really are the best in the industry, and they have the success of their IPs to sho??w for it. That's why it's such a ?shame that Valve all but stepped away from game development.

Steam, Valv?e's digital video game distribution service, was released in September of 2003. Initially it served as a platform to distribute updates to their own games, and soon expanded to put out games from third-party publishers as well.

In the first few years after Ste??am's creation, only publishers could get their games onto the storefront, but that all changed in 2008 with the introduction of the Steamworks software development kit. From then on, anyone could put their games up for sale, which revolutionized the gaming industry. Without Steam, the indie scene wouldn't be as successful and vibrant as it is today, thanks to Valve's ingenuity.

By 2013, Valve had taken over 75% of the market space for digital distribution of PC games, and by 2017, users purchasing games through Steam had soared to over $4.3 billion. Yeah, that's billion with a "b."

When you think about it, it makes complete sense that Valve wouldn't be making games anymore. Developing games is insanely expensive, risky, and takes a ton of work. C??reating something like Steam is basically every company's d??ream — it's low maintenance but turns the maximum profit. It means they don't have to crunch, or worry about if they're going to get a return on their investment during the development cycle.

But at the same time, it's such an incredible shame that the studio decided to turn away from games as? their main focus. Thanks to Valve's track record, how talented their developers are, and fans' enthusiasm for highly anticipated sequels, it seems impossible for them to fail. To have them step out of the spotlight feels like Tony Stark deciding not to build th??e Iron Man suit because it wasn't cost-effective, but what can we do?

Of course, Valve has released a few games over the past few years, like Dota Underlords and Half-Life: Alyx. These more recent titles have been met with mixed results (looking at you Artifact), but it's hard to say Valve has lost? their touch whe?n making games isn't their focus in the first place.

Players seem to get their hopes up with every new announcement, only to be disappointed when their next relea??se isn't the full game we all hope it to be. Part of me wishes they would either go all in or stop developing altogether, just to save us the heartache.

Despite it all, I don't think I'm alone in saying that Valve's games will forever be remembered as some of the all-time greats. From Team Fortress to Half-Life to Left 4 Dead, these games raised us, in a way. Hell, Portal 2 was the game that taught me h??ow to use twin-stick controls.

I'm certainly going to be secretly hoping Valve will make an epic comeback in game development, but even if they don't, I have plenty of fond memories to look back on, and for that I'm grateful. Happy anniversary, Portal 2.

The post Happy ten-year anniversary, Portal 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Let's get ready to do some science!

Splitgate, an arena shooter with portals, first jumped onto my radar when I stopped by the booth at PAX East just last month. My initial reaction was pure astonishment that nobody had done this yet. Surely someone started working on this concept after playing ten minutes of Portal back in 2007.

Whatever the reason that no other developer saw fit to make a game like this in the past 12 years (or at least not one successful enough for me to remember it), 1047 Games decided to combine portal hopping with competitive shooters. Everything about Splitgate is instantly appealing to me.

I only had time to play a quick match back in Boston, so when the developers asked me to take place in the closed beta this past weekend, I jumped at the chance. With a full three days to throw grenades through portals, I got a much better impression of what sets Splitgate apart and? a very clear idea of the games it's trying to emulate. 

If you separate Splitgate from its use of portals, the clearest game to draw a comparison to is Halo. Aesthetically everything about it evokes the classic Xbox shooter. The players heavily resemble Spartans, familiar game modes like Oddball and Domination are present, and even the array of weapons from battle rifles to shotguns feels eerily similar to Master Chief's arsenal. That isn't a knock against Splitgate, either. Familiarity is good, and the shooting feels tight and responsive&n??bsp;here. 

What makes this different than a run-of-the-mill arena shooter is the use of portals. Each player is equipped with two wrist-mounted portal guns used with the Q and E keys, respectively. Portals can only be placed on certain blue surfaces that resemble a digital interface; I much prefer Portal 2's moon rock explanation. Thankfully the aforementioned surfac??es are plentiful, and the map design has you thinking on your toes for good placement to get a flanking position on the enemy team or make a quick escape.

For the most part, these interdimensional holes follow the same rules that Valve's classic taught us. For starters, you maintain your momentum when traveling through them. Fast-moving object goes into portal; fast-moving object comes out of por?tal. If you can find a big enough drop, you can use this principle to get to some out-of-reach vantage points and pick off enemies. 

These portals also have some new attributes that would only be relevant in the competitive shooter scene. You can only see through portals placed by your team; this doesn't mean you ca??n't m??ake use of combatant's portals, just know you're jumping to another section of the map blind. While you can't see what's on the other end of those portals, your reticle will still turn red if an enemy is on the other end so feel free to blind-fire through these interdimensional vortexes at your leisure.

While there wasn't a massive amount of content to explore during the beta, Splitgate has a lot of promise. It blends familiar mechanics together in a package we haven't seen before even if the game's overall look isn't much more than Halo in a futuristic paintball arena.  

The beta was loaded with character customization options. I assume the bulk of these armor choices will be unlockables in the final release, but I had full access to any cosmetic opt??ions&n?bsp;I wanted in this build. 

At the core of it, Splitgate is a simple game, but it's a magic pairing of two fantastic games that I still can't believe hadn't been joined together sooner, and it's a release to keep an eye on when it comes to St?eam this spring. 

The post Splitgate?: Arena Warfare has me thinking with portals appeared first on Destructoid.

I refuse to say the cake is a lie

Negativity is king on YouTube, so it's always good to praise the positives when you can. Take for instance Bin??ging with Babish. Babish got his start by recreating dishes s?een in famous movies and TV shows by first trying to follow the recipe given on the show, then using his culinary skills to improve upon it.

This week, to celebrate the release of his new vlog series for his YouTube channel, Babish dedicated an episode to the infamous cake from Portal. Specifically, he went off of the picture which indicates i??t is a black forest cake, rather than the more insane Cake Personality Sphere's recipe.

This isn't the first time Babish has gone to the video game well either. During the height of the craze around Red Dead Redemption 2 he did his own take on bear stew, and while I haven't eaten meat in almost four years, or bear ever for t????hat matter, the stew sounded amazing.

Maybe one day Valve will learn to release a? third in an established series, but until then at least there's cake?

The post Binging with Babish shows you how to make your own Port?al cake appeared first on Destructoid.

Just one round of Left 4 Dead couldn't hurt...

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how incredible The Orange Box was? The bundle brought Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal to a lot of households that might not have otherwise played all three games. I never did send the garden gnome into space, but boy did ??I love this compilation.

The Orange Box is ever-so-briefly in the headlines again because it's now sporting Xbox One X enhancements along with Portal: Still Alive, Left 4 Dead, and Left 4 Dead 2. As of today, these?? Xbox 360 titles can "run at a higher resolution and 9X the original pixel coun?t" when played on Xbox One X.

With this update, there are now 21 different Xbox One X Enhanced Xbox 360 games. That's only a fraction of the overall backward-compatible list, but kudos to Microsoft for sticking w??ith it.

Classic Valve Ti??tles Now in Enh?anced Xbox 360 Backward Compatibility Collection [Xbox]

The post Several Valve games now look better on Xbox One X appeared first on Destructoid.

Chell out, it's coming soon enough

Waiting for Valve to release anything new related to the Half-Life/Portal universe is looking more and more like a fool's game with every day that passes. Anyone with an itch for more Portal 2&?nbsp;might want to set their sights on a community-made mod that should release this fall.

Destroyed Aperture is a mod that started development in 2015 and finally has a launch window -- Fall 2018. It's a substantial piece of content. Dayin Creations, the group behind Destroyed Aperture, says ??it contains 20 maps and 30 puzzles. The story campaign is made up of five chapters and is estimated to take ?five hours to complete.

The premise is: "You take the role of a man named David that gets woken up in an overgrown and decayed Aperture Science Facility 7. Facility 7's central core has failed and destroyed any and every communication systems along with the environment and killed almost everyone. The facility has been in a decayed state for years, locking everyone in. But not all hope is lost, the?re still is a chance of escaping."

Destroyed Aperture will be a free mod for Portal 2. The only requirement (apart from your PC being able to run it) is that you already own Portal 2 on Steam.

The gallery below has 15 new screenshots of Destroyed Aperture. They'll have to hold you over until the release later this fall. And the Destroyed Aperture mod will probably have to hold you over until the end of time. Valve's never making another Portal, is it?

Destroyed Aperture [moddb via PCGamer]

The post Miss Portal 2? There’s more this fall with the fan-made mod Destroyed Aperture appeared first on Destructoid.

Spoiler warning

I reckon I owe ev??eryone an apology. It's been nearly two years since I wrote my last listicle, a magnum opus that propelled me to the ranks of Dtoid's elite. It's been over a month since my last front-page piece, a stunning review that nonetheless left many asking, "Who the hell is Bass anyway?" I've been slacking. I cannot apologize enough for that.

Since Easter is my favorite holiday, and since I'm trying to remedy this whole "not writing" thing, I? figured I'd make a new Easter-themed listicle to get back into the groove of things. Kids get spoiled on this holiest of day, and what better way to spoil everybody than to talk about the biggest plot twists in video game history?

It's a stretch, sure, but bear with me here. I started writing this past 10 PM on Easter's Eve (Quebecker Standard Time), drunk as a sailor off cheap Costco beer while my family's over. Witty analogies are far beyond my ability at the ??moment, so let's just get right to it.

#5: It was all a simulation
Metal Gear Solid 2

Stories that don't take take place in reality, in-universe, can be pretty lame. Why should I c??are about what happens if the journey takes place in a dream or an MMO? That's one too many layers of separation from the action for me.

But, in Metal Gear Solid 2's case, something clicked. Maybe it was the meta-commentary on sequels and player expectations. Maybe it was the colonel's radio communications. Maybe it was the infinite ammo bandana. In any case, seeing MGS2's crazy simulation story unf?old was one very enjoyable trip.

#4: The cake was a lie
Portal

You can't make a Top 5 twists in video game list without including Portal. That's just the way it i?s. Valve did it again with?? a memorable story with an unforgettable twist near the end.

Some naysayers may say the writing was literally on the wall in the late game. That doesn't change a thing. When the evil robot turned out to be evil after all I clapped. It's a good thing the internet didn't spoil t??his for me beforehand.

#3: Smut was a girl
Metroid

This one came out of nowhere when I was a kid. I was playing Metroid for the first time. The Zero Mission version on ?my Nintendo DS, to be accurate. Mother Brain and her evil Metroid and energy donuts were defeated. And then, in the following cutscene... Wow, I guess I was playing as a girl all along!

The sudden rev??elation flip-turned my world upside down. People who weren't in the know naturally assumed Samarecarm's a guy. Most action heroes are, and people didn't spoil games for themselves online back in those days.

That's why Metroid's main character twist, though simple in nature, was so effective. But it'??s also? why twists like this wouldn't work nowadays. Samantha and Ham is a product of her time.

#2: The princess was in another castle
Super Mario Brothers

It's hard to get more iconic than this one. Every time you finish a stage in the original Super Mario Brothers, there's this cheery mu?sic as Mario triumphantly walks to his princess... The camera ??slowly pans to the right and then...

Toad? Not again! 

By the time you conquer the 8th world, you're at the point where you expect the princess to be in another castle. Especially when the dragon monster boss you beat is the same dude you defeated in the last 7 worlds. But that's precisely when they twist the formula on you, and now the princess is in this castle. Who would see that coming!

?Genius stuff. It's no wonder that this game led to t?he largest video game franchise of all time.

#1: There was a bad guy hiding in the turtle the whole time
Trio the Punch

So many moments from Trio the Punch would apply, to tell the truth. This arcade gem just keeps second guessing all the? way. I was never quite sure what to expect with every ne??w level, and that's the best compliment I can give a game.

The game's brilliance culminates in the second half of the game, in a le??vel that seemed innocuous at first. Some guy is harassing a turtle. An easy opponent.

But the level doesn't end there. It turns out you have to smack the turtle yourself, revealing yet another foe to defeat. It's a simple concept, but one that really takes you by surprise nonetheless. I rem?ember when I was a kid and easily impressionable... After getting to this part I couldn't trust anything around me. Everything started to look like a possible hiding place for a martial arts master. And that right there is the sign of an effective twist.

Trio the Punch's legacy can be felt in many games of today, from Castle Crashers to Wario Ware. But d??espite so many copycats, nothing has managed to match the brilliance of the re??al deal.

And that's it for my Top 5 video game twists of all time, but let me know what you think in the comment section down below. Don't forget to like, subscribe and purchase that Crunchyroll subscrip?tion.

The post Top 5 Twists in Video Game History appeared first on Destructoid.

February 28 and March 1

Although it's mostly a reskin, Bridge Constructor Portal managed to be entertaining all the same. Injecting a bit of dark humor and...well...portals into th?e construction formula was a nice little kick, and for a modest price it's worth picking up.

If you're against grabbing it on PC or mobile devices for some reason though publisher Headup Games?? is bringing it to console?s. They've just announced that in addition to the aforementioned platforms, it'll also be hitting major consoles later this month.

Bridge Constructor Portal will arrive on Xbox One and ??Switch on February 28, followed by PS4 on?? March 1.

The post Bridge Cons??tructor Portal is coming to Switch, PS4 an??d Xbox One soon appeared first on Destructoid.

A surprisingly good combo

Bridge Constructor Portal is a mashup I didn't know I wanted. Whether it's a sign of more to come or merely an out-?of-the-blue one-off, I'm s??urprised this game exists -- and also how much I like it.

It borrows the ingenious puzzle mechanics of Portal and Portal 2,?? repurposing them for a physics-centric building game about (not so safely) escorting vehicles from one point to another.

As long as the brave little stick?? figures complete their da?ngerous and often roundabout journeys, that's job well done. It's not like GLaDOS is going to judge you if they get a little banged up along the way.

Bridge Constructor Portal (iOS, Mac, PC [reviewed], PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Developer: ClockStone
Publisher: Headup Games
Released: December 20, 2017 (iOS, Mac, PC) / Early 2018 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
MSRP: $9.99 (PC and consoles) / $4.99 (mobile)

Whereas the Portal games had compelling stories to go along with their brilliant puzzle scenarios, Bridge Constructor Portal is straightforward. It's better thought of as a series of individual levels. You'll get some Aperture Science window dressing here and there, and GLaDOS voice-overs help liven the place up, but don't expect much in the way of a story. It's more Bridge Constructor than Portal proper.

If you don't have experience with one or both of these games, that won't be a problem -- it's intuitive. The room layouts and their components are all pre-set so, for instance, you won't have to figure out where to put portals. That's handled for you this time. All you're ever doing is adding onto a room by connecting pieces of scaffolding, road, and suspension wire together to create bridges, ramps, and other makeshift creations ?to help the autonomous vehicles get where they need to go.

The const??ruction process couldn't be any easier. And while the physics can get funky (which is sometimes beneficial, sometimes a pain, and almost always funny), there are clear visual cues to show exactly where your structures risk coming u?ndone. Altering your designs to better support themselves and distribute weight is a cinch. Click, drag, snap, and you're done. I love the simplicity.

Starting off, you'll just ha?ve to avoid pitfalls with toxic water and make sure your structures hold up. But further into the game's 60 levels, you might need to chart a course for vehicles to strategically avoid turrets until ??they can come back around and knock them out from behind; guide Companion Cubes onto switches; redirect energy pellets into receptacles; or bounce objects off gel-caked surfaces.

If you're well acquainted with the Portal series, you'll rarely if ever be surprised by what you see here. It's also unlikely that you'll ever get "stuck" trying to find a "solution." Rather, this game is about fine-tuning. It's about getting everything situated just right, not a-ha moments. That isn't to say it's unsatisfying -- it feels tremendous to finally get your vehicle to the objective after fiddling wit??h structures for far too long -- but it is a different experience than you'd associate with Valve's games.

The first half or so is well-paced but after that point, Bridge Constructor Portal begins running out of mechanics to introduce and resorts to raising its complexity by giving you more variables ?to work with and demanding more precision. Those later levels feel lik?e a battle of attrition. They're finicky.

Even if the game doesn't bring anything wholly new to the table for Portal fans and it leans on some filler ??toward the end, on the whole, I had a darn good time with this spin-off.

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

The post Review: Bridge Constructor Portal appeared first on Destructoid.

Here's what we want to see

E3 is quickly creeping up on us. In not too long, the hype train for dozens of games will leave the station on a non-stop trip to Salesville. And while one of the best things about E3 is seeing all the new IPs developers and publishers reveal, I can't help but think about the game's I'd love to see new entries in. There are so many great properties out there that are just r??ipe for a big return, whether it's because of new hardware like the Nintendo Switch, improved performance like what we expect out of Project Scorpio, or a long-in-the-works VR project that will take a beloved franchise int??o the next dimension.

I'm excited for what we're going to see and the other writers here at Destructoid are excited as well. So I asked them what games they wanted to see this year. There were several games I considered writing about for this feature. Out of left field, I’d love to see Mega Man Maker be a real thing. More grounded in reality, having Luigi’s Next Mansion or Contra 5 announced at E3 would bring a huge smile to my face as those are two of my favorite fra??nchises.

But when I really sat down and pondered about the industry, its past and the games from yesteryear that have been absent for a while, one repeatedly came to mind as the game to write about, to wish into existence: WarioWare Switch.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why this series, of all of Nintendo’s great series, has been on hiatus. I guess Game & Wario could count as an entry but it isn’t nearly as good as its predecessors. My first experience with the series was WarioWare: Smooth Moves for the Wii, a game me and my best friend would spend hours playing. From there I found copies of Touched!, Twisted!, and the original. I also bought D.I.Y. day one but never managed ?to make anything worthwhile i??n it.

It's been far too long since Wario ambushed players with his eclectic collection of single-serve microgames. At this point, I’d even take a Rhythm Heaven Megamix type release that brought the best (or all) of the microgames from all the WarioWare games into one packa??ge. With the Nintendo Switch, that would absolute?ly be possible.

Chris Carter

Souls. I'm predictable like that.

Well, it doesn't even have to be "Souls," you know? A Bloodborne 2 would suffice, perhaps a Demon's Souls 2, or anything by From Software. I guess that's a Souls after all isn't it?

While the series always ran the risk of becoming rote, From always found a way to keep us on our toes, even when director Miyazaki took a brief step back. It's a routine that I've sorely missed -- the initial surprise of a reveal, the sheer terror and stress of playing through a completely unknown world for the first time. A few projects have come close to replicating that feeling (and a few don't even approach its shadow, like The Surge), but there's nothing quite like popping in a fresh Souls disc and getting eaten by a Mimic tha??t you forgot to check.

Peter Glagowski

I've been thinking about this answer since CJ sent us the question and I honestly can't think of a game. Seeing as how all the shit that used to be a surprise at E3 gets spoiled/leaked nowadays, there really isn't much I can wish for that isn't already in the works or outright canceled. I suppose i??f I had to say something really crazy, I would sidestep a specific game and wish for the end of designated console platforms. A single, unified console wo??uld be awesome, but that is likely to never happen.

It wouldn't even need to be an end of console manufactur?ing for Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Instead of having platform specific games, we get platform specific features. Nintendo can make entry level, budget consoles that get gamers off the ground and playing. Sony can market almost exclusively to Japan, where they tend to have the most clout. Microsoft would focus on making the high-end equipment and having appeal with dudebros in college dorms. It would be great to see these companies stop fighting over what consoles get wh?at games and start working towards making gaming more open to everyone.

ShadeOfLight

It would be easy for me to use this opportunity to gush about how much I want Metroid Prime 4. I wouldn't be wrong.

However, I also remember a time when I was disappointed that instead of Metroid Prime 4, we were getting Donkey Kong Country Returns 2. The original Returns was a good game, but surely the DK series couldn't stand up to the glory that is Metroid? 

When we finally got Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, it ended?? up being the single best game on the Wii U, and one of the greatest platformers ever made. 

That day I learned that I can't in good conscience choose between Retro Studios' games. If they want to make more Metroid, I'm with them. If they are working on more Donkey Kong, I'm down. If Nintendo dug up F-Zero and gave it to Retro, I'd be ecstatic. Hell, if they announced Hello Kitty X Link's Crossbow Training I'd be up for it. 

It doesn't matter what it is; I just want whatever ??Retro Studios is making. 

Wes

WarioWare? Snooze. More Metroid? As if that'll ever happen. And Jiminy, aren't there enough Souls games already, Chris? You guys are lame. I, however, am the voice of the people. The people demand satisfaction. They demand the highly anticipated ??third chapter of the greatest game series of all time. And they demand it to be announced at E3.

The people demand Portal 3!

The first time I played Portal, I was absolutely stunned. It took a concept I had never before seen in a game and made it work flawlessly. The sequel took an already amazing concept and expanded upon it, adding new techniques and gameplay mechanics that shouldn't have meshed so well with the core gameplay, but totally nailed it anyway. To top it all off, both games were hilarious and smart in every way and even managed to add a strange lore to the whole world delivered entirely organically. I do not hesitate at all in calling the Portal series an absolute masterpiece in gaming.

Now, here we are, six years later and absolutely no sign of the third game in this amazing series. But, like Shenmue 3 and The Last Guardian before it, I fully expect Portal 3 to get its surprise due at this year's E3, shocking everyone who'd never expect such a sight. Something tells me Chell isn't totally free from Aperture's twisted world ??of science gone mad, and I for one certainly hope they're not.

Jonathan Holmes

Strangely enough, the game I most want to see at E3 2017 is sort of like Portal 3 spelled backward in Japanese. That's right, kids! It's Tobal 3, the fighting game that millions of people d?on't know that?? they want, but would definitely love if the could.

Tobal #1 was released on the PS1 back in the 90s, and it sold pretty well, largely thanks to its packed-in demo for Final Fantasy 7. Created by a team of ex-Virtua Fighter and Tekken developers, and with character designs by Dragon Ball and Chrono Trigger's Akira Toriyama, the game was wildly original, but not quite s??trong enough to become a classic.?? Its sequel though? That's one of the best fighting games ever made. 

Tobal 2 excels as both a multiplayer and a single player experience. Its quest mode is particularly compelling, combining traditional 3D fighting gameplay with the randomized dungeon structure of Binding of Isaac and the monster catching antics of Pokemon. Attacked by an owlbear, penguin, zombie, or pile of sentient, violent jelly that you really admire? Beat them to a pulp, throw a purple crystal at them when they're at 10% health, and they're all yours. That works for any of the game's +185  monsters. You can even c?atch and ride a Chocobo! 

If Tobal 3 was just a port of Tobal 2, but with a few new characters and added online play, it could still end up a massive hit. Pokemon, Dragonball, and roguelikes each had niche appeal with adults in the 90s, but today, all three have huge followings with kids and adults all over the world. Combining them all again in 2017 seems like a no-brainer, right? They wouldn't even have to update the graphics that much! That texture-free, high frame rate, low-poly look is so hot right now, especially with?? kids in their 20s, waxing nostalgic for a youth spent gaming on the PS2.

Jordan Devore

It wouldn't be the flashiest or most unexpected reveal, but gosh darn it, I'd love GameCube titles on the Switch, and I want Nintendo to do one of those "It's available later today!" announcements at E3. We still know next to nothing about Virtual Console aside from what the rumor mill has turned up.

My E3 wish seemed like a no-brainer when CJ first raised this question, but now, I'm not sure what's happening over in Nintendo land.  The company has altered its upcoming paid online service for Switch to include "ongoing access to a library of classic games [like Super Mario Bros. 3] with added onlin?e play," and it's unclear what that change might mean for Virtual Cons?ole as we know it.

I don't care how it happens, I just want Pikmin 2 and Metroid Prime on Switch this year.

Salvador G-Rodiles

This might be the most impossible reveal to happen at E3, but it'd be nice if a Super Robot Wars game would be announced for the West.

While licensing issues is one of the biggest factors behind the series not going West, Bandai Namco and B.B. Studios could bypass this hurdle with a Super Robot Wars game that features mechs from Western live-acti??on titles and cartoons.

Wouldn't it be amazing to see Megas XLR, Symbionic Tit?an, the Iron Giant, Gypsy Danger, and the new Voltron joining forces to fight a huge threat? I believe the answer will always be "Hell Freaking Yes." Combine this with the robots being shown as SD 2D sprites doing their signature moves in the most dynamic way possible, and you end up with a solid strategy RPG that'll please your inner desire to pilot a colossal machine.

As long as B.B. Studios gets to ??give it their all, this game could change the way how people in the West view crossover stories. The main reason is that the franchise is more than just a fanservice title for fans of giant robots since the team is known for taking the time to craft a fun narrative where all of these shows can coexist in the same universe. In some cases, they can even turn a terrible series into an enjoyable one.

Most importantly, you'll get to hear some great remixes of the signature tunes featured in these shows and films. Who knows, this Super Robot Wars title?? might spark a trend where more games with giant robots will enter the scene.

Josh Tolentino

With Persona 5, Final Fantasy XV, and The Last Guardian all released and in the wild by now, I'm plum out of things I'm actively looking forward to at E3 beyond surprises. Anything else I've been anticipating, such as Destiny 2 and Assassin's Creed: Origins are practically a given, be they detailed here or at Gamescom. I suppose seeing updates on some of the more intriguing titles from other trade shows would be cool, like more details about Wild, Michel Ancel's caveman-times druid simulator (and also fuel for giant-lady fetishists). I'd expect that word about the Persona team's next project would probably be dropped closer to the Tokyo Game Show, or even ?just to Atlus' YouTube page rather than at a more West??ern-centric show like E3. 

Pixie

The bitter tears of Metroid and F-Zero fans.

A full game starr??ing Linkle because there is ?a thread I want to moderate.

Advance Wars to become a dating sim where Sami and Nell can?? kiss. Or one with a definitive solution to breaking multiplayer stalemates because otherwise, the franchise needs to remain dead.

A Freedom Wars PS4 remaster shamelessly pillaged from Vita's corps??e.

Todd Howard to fall through the floor's geometry when they show off Skyrim for the Switch.

And for Square Enix to announce a game that will actually release within two year's time. One that doesn't tie into the Marvel Cinematic ?Universe.

*****

That hypothetical Linkle thread would be amazing. And Jordan I agree. I would like to know what's? going on with the Virtual Console, if only for the fact I own the first two Earthbounds and would?? hate to only be able to "rent" the third one if it's ever localized.

The post What do you want to see revealed at E3? appeared first on Destructoid.

He had a damn good run

Another familiar face is out at Valve. Following the departures of fellow writers Marc Laidlaw and Erik Wolpaw, now Chet Faliszek -- who contributed to both of the Half-Life 2 episodes, as well as the Portal and Left 4 Dead series, and Counter-Strike: GO -- has decided to leave the company.

I was with Valve for 12+ years, but a fan for even longer. Can't wait to play what is coming next. pic.twitter.com/FumRoP0VTS

— Chet Faliszek (@chetfaliszek) May 2, 2017

In a statement provided to GamesIndustry.biz, Faliszek said that the exit wasn't "exciting" or "drama filled," adding that he "worked there 12 years, shipped a bunch of great games and some amazing hardware and wanted to change th??ings up." As for what's next, "there's no news."

With Valve's new-game output the way it is, it's not at all surprising to see this group of writers seek other opportunities. In recent ?years, Faliszek has taken on a more VR-centric role -- he's generally who comes to mind when I think of virtual reality at Valve -- and while he has done great work in that capacity, it sure would be nice to see him back ?writing games again as his primary focus.

Chet Faliszek leaves Valve [GamesIndustry.biz]

The post Chet Faliszek is moving on from Valve appeared first on Destructoid.

It's hard to make weapon skins funny

It's been confirmed that Erik Wolpaw, one of the writers behind games like Portal and Left 4 Dead, is no longer working for Valve. Wolpaw and his writing partner, Chet Faliszek, joined Valve after their hugely influential Old Man Murray website was noticed by founder Gabe Newell, and they've helped give Valve's characters much of their humor and personality ever since. Before joining Valve, Wolpaw had written for Double Fine's Psychonauts, and it appears as though he'll continue working on the sequel. Wolpaw had been given permission to work on Psychonauts 2&n?bsp;while still at Valve, b?ut will now be able to devote full time to the project.

The departure was confirmed on Twitter by one of Wolpaw's fellow writers at Valve, Marc Laidlaw. Additionally, Wolpaw's FaceBook page has been updated to show that he's no longer ??a Valve employee.

@Wolpaw left Valve so I can now insult him?? freely without damaging the company's reputation. He's? a comic genius and a true original.

— Marc Laidlaw (@marc_laidlaw) February 17, 2017

Valve's writing team for the last decade has been top-notch, and if you've ever repeated a meme about fictional cake, sentient bread, or combustible lemons, it's likely that Wolpaw had a hand in its creation. Wolpaw had thought he would need to leave Valve in the past due to illness, but was given extended leave to recover. It's unknown how his departure will affect any title??s Valve is currently working on. 

Erik Wolpaw leaves Valve, for real this time [NeoGAF]

The post Erik Wolpaw has departed Valve appeared first on Destructoid.

Forget traffic!

Augmented reality has never been a perfect technology, but it definitely creates some fun scenarios. Pokémon Go is the biggest game to extensively feature the tech, but lots of modders and fans have created their own demos to showcase the possibilities. Enter Kenny W, an AR developer who has a ton of videos about Pokémon, with his newest demo based on Portal.

This demo utilizes Microsoft's HoloLens device, which isn't exactly known for its build quality. While the demo makes it look revelatory, apparently users haven't experie?nced anything quite like this.

As you can see from the video, the textures seem a little low quality, but the cube definitely re?acts realistically. The companion cube gets thrown about in Kenny's house and even stumbles down some stairs. If only Valve would take an interest in this, we could possibly see a more polished final product for mobile devices.

I wouldn't call it a proof of concept for a game, but it would definitely be neat to fiddle around with balancing the cube on things or trying to catch a f?alling ball from a portal set on a skyscraper. Maybe I just want an AR game that is more involved than catching imaginary creatures.

Portal demo on HoloLens highlights augmen??t??ed reality’s awesome potential [PC Gamer]

The post Portal in augmented reality looks super neat appeared first on Destructoid.