Fight for a new high score

Sloclap's Sifu is already a fairly challenging game to conquer. But for those who want even more of a mountain to climb, a Sifu update is adding some new modifiers and a scoring system later this mo?nth to really up the bar.

The summer update for Sifu goes live on August 31, and adds several new features. Gameplay modifiers are a big one, letting those who have already mastered the motions in Sifu impose even more challenge.

Sifu's new?? modifiers can change a number of things. Maybe it takes away guarding, or reduces your main character to a single hit point. Or maybe it makes things a bit easier, letting the player ignor?e enemies' guard or stopping them from picking up weapons.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CeRPCV_bog

Two examples were shown off in today's trailer. One is a "hardcore run," where enemies are stronger, the player has only on?e health, and they cannot guard or use the pendant. The ??"fun run," meanwhile, imposes "bullet time" and low gravity, along with weaker enemies and a gold weapon.

Setting the pace

A new scoring system also arrives as part of the summer update, with mechanics that will analyze all the moves you do for smoothness, efficiency, and variety. This will also be tr??acked level-over-level, so you can see your current high score in an area and whether you broke it.

Lastly, there are some special outfits for Sifu players who want some?? extra style. The Enforcer armor will be available for anyone with the Deluxe Edition, giving the protagonist some tactical armor.

The Master Hand, meanwhile, will be available for all Sifu players. This slick trench coat and ha??t ensemble has one goal in mind: don't get hit. An enemy's strike knocks the hat ??off your head. And you can't go about your quest for vengeance without your stylish hat.

Sifu was already pretty tough (in a rewarding way) when I played it earlier this year, so the thought of adding mo??re challenge is daun?ting. But some of the fun modifiers do sound like a good time.

Those who have a copy of Sifu wi??ll be able to check it all out when the update goes ??live on August 31.

The post Sifu gets some new gameplay modifiers in an update ?this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Stay Out of Trobble

Nacon is joining the long list of publishers dropping dates for its own summer live stream presentation. Nacon Connect 2022, which is scheduled to take place on July 7, w??ill feature a slew of reveals, updates, and trailers pertaining to the company's catalog of upcoming games, accessories, and development projects.

"This year, NACON Connect is reinven??ting itself in its format and will feature even more content for gamers," said the company in a press release. "Two pre-show and post-show sessions will be added and hosted by renowned influencers. The conference will be the occasion to announce several major projects?, reveal new trailers and exclusive gameplay, and introduce new accessories that will delight all gamers."

While Nacon is expected to reveal the show's itinerary at a later date, we can snugly assume that we'll be seeing updates on the cyber revolution RPG Steelrising, Daedalic's action-adventure title The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, and Teyon's previously teased RoboCop: Rogue City. Nacon promises new trailers, exclusive gameplay footage,? and the debut of several new accessories from the company's hardware division.

Nacon Connect 2022 will go live on July 7 at 10:00 PT / 13:00 ET / 18:00 BST and can be watched on the official Nacon YouTube and Twitch channels. I may not be a "renowned influencer", but I'll also do my best to bring you any perti??nent news from the stream right here on Destructoid.

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I don't know who asked for some of these but...

Yesterday, Limited Run Games held its ann?ual summer showcase, which was produced by the folk at Mega64 and revealed the boutique retailer's upcoming catalog of physical releases. On the agenda were a wide variety of new and old releases, all of which will be making the leap from the digital archives to a whole new world of shelf-filling plas??tic.

There were familiar brands and IPs such as Shantae, Blade Runner, Doom, Tetris, and Star Wars lined up alongside radical '80s/'90s franchises such as TMNT, Bill & Ted, Shadowrun, and even the classic horror adventure, D. Oh, and that PS5 port of Night Trap we all wanted is finally on the way,?? because that's what we bought that $500 console for. Right?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srqc6DQH6M8

There was simply too much on offer to break down on an individual basis, so I've painstakingly recreated the entire lineup in the list below, complete with platforms and dates. Please be aware that some of these are simple physical releases, while others will be getting the full Collector's Edition treatment. You'd be better off visiting the official Limited Run Games online catalog for full details on any specific titles that pi??que your interest. Finally, all titles are expected to open pre?-orders between now and the end of 2023.

Right, ain't nothing to it but to do it.

• A Boy and His Blob: Retro Collection â€?PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
• American Hero â€?PlayStation, PC, Switch
• BATS: Bloodsucker Anti-Terror Squad â€?PS4, Switch
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Retro Collection â€?PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
• Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition â€?PlayStation, Switch
• Blossom Tales 2 â€?Switch
• D â€?PC, Panasonic 3DO
• Deathwish Enforcers â€?PlayStation, Switch
• DoDonPachi Resurrection â€?Switch
• DOOM 64 â€?Xbox
• DOOM Eternal â€?Switch
• Enclave â€?PlayStation, Switch
• ESP Galuda II â€?Switch
• Frogun â€?PlayStation, Switch
• Garden Story â€?Switch
• Glover â€?Nintendo 64
• GoGo Kokopolo! â€?Nintendo 3DS
• Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection â€?PS4, Switch
• LUNARK â€?PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
• Night Trap â€?PS5
• Plumbers Don't Wear Ties: Definitive Edition â€?PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
• PowerSlave: Exhumed â€?PS4, Xbox, Switch
• Rendering Ranger R-2 â€?PlayStation, Switch, SNES
• River City Girls 2 â€?PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
• Shadowrun Trilogy â€?PS4, Xbox, Switch
• Shantae â€?PlayStation
• Skelattack â€?PS4, Switch
• Spidersaurs â€?PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
• Star Wars: KOTOR II â€?PC, Switch
• TMNT: Shredder's Revenge â€?PS4, Xbox, Switch
• Tetris Effect: Connected â€?PS4, Xbox, Switch
• Undermine â€?PS4, Switch

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Publisher to appear at 'regional events'

With Friday's Sony State of Play presentation, the summer gaming news season is officially underway. But before we have even gotten close to the season's Gamescom 2022 showcase, developer/publisher Nintendo has already announced that it will not be i?n attendance for the August event.

In a statement to German news outlet Games Wirtschaft, (later republished by VGC), Nintendo Europe noted that ??it will not be joining the other industry figureheads gathering in Cologne, and will instead be low-key showcasing its various wares at several smaller, regional trade shows in and around ?Germany.

"Gamescom is a key event in Nintendo’s calendar of events," writes Nintendo. "This year, however, after careful considera?tion, we have decided against participat??ing in Cologne. Instead, players will be able to try out the games for Nintendo Switch at numerous events throughout Germany."

"Events that have been firmly scheduled so far include [...] the SWR Summer Festival and the Stuttgart Children and Youth Festival. For Japan and video game fans, we have decided to participate in the Main Matsuri Japan Festival in Frankfurt as well as the DoKomi in Düsseldorf ?and the AnimagiC in Mannheim. Further tour stops and activities are being planned."

"We loo??k forward to seeing our fans again at many regional ?events."

Gamescom joins an expanding list of 2022 events wherein Nintendo will not be putting in an appearance. The studio has become increasingly introverted in regard to news distribution for its ongoing projects, preferring instead to stick to its Nintendo Direct live streams and the occasional "Treehouse" demonstration. Even its flagship fighter, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, will not be featured in the international fighting game tournament EVO 2022. It seems, for this year at any rate, ??Nintendo remains insistent ?on sitting at its own exclusive table.

Gamescom 2022, which returns in a semi-physical capacity for the first time in two years, will take place in Cologne, Germany between August 24-28. The event will feature news, reveals, playable demos, interviews, and the annual Opening Night Live showcase, once again hosted by organizer Geoff Keighley.

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Cblogs of 5/28 to 6/3/2022

-Black Red Gaming shares a ??list of their top 5 most anticipated game releases in June.

-RoomWithaMoose reviews Ghostwire: Tokyo.

-BRAV0 F1VE reviews Elden Ring.

-Necrowondo wants to talk about Fortnite seriously for a moment.

-Kerrik52 continues their Legacy of Kain retrospective through another look at Blood Omen.

-Sleeves really thinks you should give Lethal League Blaze a try.

-Eggs&Brewsterjr updates us on eight games they played recently.

-jobjoe tries to figure out what makes a good first??-person dungeon crawler.

-Lord Spencer writes about Mega Man 5 as part of his Mega Man Retrospective blogging series.

-PhilsPhindings discusses the similarities between the soundtrack of Super Mario Land and Soca music.

-Titannel reviews Nitro Pepsi in the midst of giving a life? update.

-ChronoLynxx opens this wee?k's TGIF comm?unity thread for open discussions.

Look at all those lovely blogs! Thanks to Lord Spencer for providing this week’s recap and, as always, thanks to all of our dear readers for their thoughts and opinions. If you wanna join the HOT TAKE party, then simply mosey on over to the Cblogs section and have your say. You will find you?rself recapped on this here front page next week.

The post What will be your big summer gaming timesink? appeared first on Destructoid.

Over 30 major companies in attendance

And with the arrival of June, comes the road to E3 �or, as we call it these days, "Geoff Keighley and his m??a??tes advertizin' stuff." With yet another absence form filled in by the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the spotlight falls on the Summer Game Fest, a seemingly endless showcase of publisher wares that will roll out over those hot summer nights.

Yesterday, Mr. Keighley got the hype machine in gear with a brand new post on Twitter, spotlighting 30 of the larger partner companies that will be taking part in this year's event. The whole gang is present and accounted for, with a who's who list that includes 2K Games, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Bloober Team, Activision Blizzard, Sega, Square Enix, Skybound, Devolver Digital, ??Dotemu, Epic Games, and many, many more. In fact, there are very few major publishers not featured in the splash image... save, of course, for Nintendo �notoriously standoffish when it comes to playing with others.

The core of the Summer G??ame Fest showcase is set to take place between June 9-12, via a selection of live streams, online presentations, social media reveals, and exceedingly long d?ays for your friends at Destructoid and other gaming outlets. This will not suffice, however, as players can expect news, reveals, trailers, and other surprises throughout the summer months.

The action kicks off tomorrow, June 2, as Sony hosts its first State of Play stream of the new season. Be sure to tune in at 15:00 PT / 18:00 ET / 23:00 BST for 30 minutes of news and headlines pertaining to all things PlayStation. Of course, over the course of this summer, we will be working tirelessly to bring you all ??of the pertinent details regarding all of the hottest scoops right here on Destructoid.

Who will survive and what will be left of them?

//twitter.com/geoffkeighley/status/1531666856989237253?s=20&t=yHz5BzozfwFlvv6Sm?52jjw

The post Who will bring the nois??e at Summer Game Fest 2022? appeared first on Destructoid.

Getting out ahead of not-E3

Sony has announced a summer showcase, and it's airing a bit before the usual festivities. A new Sony State of Play is airing on Ju?ne 2.

The show will start at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT, airing on Twitch and YouTube.

As for content, Sony says it will have nearly 30 minutes of announcements and updates from the world of PlayStation. This includes reveals from third-party partners, and a look at several in-development game??s for PlayStation?? VR 2.

//twitter.com/Pl??ayStation/status/1530187216026206209

Kicking off the summer

This June 2 showcase is a full week before Summer Game Fest Live on June 9, which kicks off a full weekend of showcases and streams. With no E3 this year, there's not necessarily reason to stick to a schedule or window—and it's not like Sony always did, anyways.

Xbox and Bethesda are hosting their joint press conference on June 12, and many other showcases have been gradually moving into that weekend as wel??l. Still absent is Nintendo; no Direct has been announced as of this writing, though without a physical show, Nintendo could easily announce a stream just a few ?days in advance rather than weeks.

Stil?l, it looks like we're in f??or a summer of gaming news either way, and Sony is getting a head start.

What's in a State?

As for sp??eculation for what we could see? Well, Sony does highlight both VR and third-party content. At "nearly" 30 minutes, it won't be a massive presentation or anything. But especially in an online format, it's easy to blast through a bunch of trailers and announcements.

One reasonable guess is seeing Square Enix here. The company has teased that both Final Fantasy XVI and the Final Fantasy VII franchise are due for news soon. And the last Sony State of Play in March 2022 showed off two different Square Enix games, Valkyrie Elysium and The DioField Chronicle.

Hopes will also be high for common pairings with PlayStation like Street Fighter, or even a first-party update on big games like God of War: Ragnarok. Either way, S??ony's going to show us what it's planning for the future next week.

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