Hyrulin' the Box

Game marketing has sure changed in the post-internet world. And while we can be grateful for the abandonment of those weird "lad's mag" years, there's definitely something of a yearning for the well (and not-so-well)-conceived commercials of the 1980s and 1990s. This was a time when context was absolutely necessary, where no answers or information could be found via a quick wander through? the information superhighway.

The commercial had to do all the selling. No live streams, no banner ads, no YouTube previews, and no E3 visits for Johnny Public. You have 30 seconds to tell? people to spend $50. Make them count.

Fortunately for Nintendo's premier fantasy franchise, The Legend of Zelda, its universe and characters exe??mplified magic, myster??y, excitement, and adventure. Marketers had a literal universe of brave heroes, beautiful princesses, vicious monsters, grim castles, and haunted woods at their disposal, advertising Link's newest adventure to eager youth �pockets bursting with dollar bills, due to the fact that the only subscription anybody had back then was a subscription to Nintendo Power.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches on Nintendo Switch later this week, riding on the crest of a commercial that, according to social media, left some fans literally crying with emotion. For sure, there is an art to making a modern game trailer, especially with a release as epic as TOTK. But still, one cannot help but wistfully recollect those carefree Saturday mornings, when a show that you remember being better than it actually was would ?eventually cut to commercial �And it was in this arena that The Big N would do its very best to compel you and your friends to the Land of Hyrule...

...Armed, more o??ften than not, with the power of?? Rap.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGZv30buf-??U&ab_channel=RadUniverse

The Legend of Zelda (US, 1986)

With the flash dominance of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo quickly established a series of ads that were mostly based around the players themselves, huddled together in the lounge to enjoy a bout of Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! or to break R.O.B. with an accidental trip. With the launch of The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo once again chose not to focus on the game, but on two "Video Game Fans", including one that has stepped straight out of garbage 1984 flick Revenge of the Nerds.

In order to remind you how cool game fans are, the duo start an abominable rap, not only giving school bullies validation in the hatred of gaming culture but also consigning The Legend of Zelda to a bizarre pattern of hip-hop-related advertis?ing. Beatboxing like The Fat Boys included. Still, fair play for reaching out and crossing that Nerd-Jock divide.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=??DxICM??GKuT1s&ab_channel=VGLegacy

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (JPN, 1987)

This delightful commercial sees a young girl excitedly run into her Grandma's (?) video game store and declare her love for Link's second adventure. The back of the store then parts, revealing Hyrule itself awaiting adventure. Adorably, the child becomes Link, while Grandma becomes Impa. The gender themes here are interesting, as thi?s represents one of the first instances of Link's androgynous nature, ?which often sees him portrayed by women and girls in marketing, fanart, and cosplay.

The commercial ends with Zelda and Impa imploring us never to give up, w??hile the Famicom disk system asks us to "Go as Far as We Can". More consoles ??should offer life-affirming lessons.

//www.youtube.c??om/watch?v=nYF6r-RluJg&ab_channel=M1??nt

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (US, 1993)

Were you down wi' Zelda from the very start? Because this lad was, and he's telling us all about it in this commercial for one of the finest releases (as well as the most played) in the entire series, LoZ: Link's Awakening. It's 1993, ?and everyone has a Game Boy. Ever??yone. Mine had pink and black fur glued to it. I had a lot of growing up to do.

Anyway, even folks who had never touched a Zelda title in their life dove into Link's amnesia-fueled handheld adventure, while this commercial continues Nintendo's desire to push Zelda away from its unfair "nerdy ro??l?e-playing game" reputation and into something altogether cooler. The irony is, video game fans didn't care, we were already d-d-down with the inhabitants of Hyrule.

"Cree????ping through with an overhead view" is going to be the title of my autobiography.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoZwW9rh6cY&??ab_channel=ZeldaDensetsu

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (US/UK, 2013)

This ad for Nintendo 3DS release A Link Between Worlds might have screened in 2013, but it most certainly features the "Put the kid in the action" mentality of the '80s/'90s advertising. In the short TV spot, we see a kid who kind of looks like dollar store Frankie Muniz navigate a Zelda-style dungeon, utilizing A Link Between Worlds' ingenious wall-merging abilities in order to conquer an ??array?? of obstacles, before ultimately escaping the dungeon and capturing the fated Master Sword.

//www.??youtube.com/watch?v=u??_jdwTkb9xY&ab_channel=VHSVideovault

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (UK, 1993)

British comedian Rik Mayall grew out of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s �an entire comedic movement mostly established as a full-throated assault against the Tory government and its "Iron Lady" leader. Mayall became one of the most successful stars of the scene, appearing in shows such as The Young Ones, Yes, Prime Minister, and Bottom, while Americans might know him best in the titular role of the 1991 film Drop Dead Fred.

When the SNES hit it big in the UK, Mayall starred in a series of commercials for many Nintendo releases, including Star Fox, Street Fighter II, Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. This short spot sees him sending up his more successful modern image and features little of the actual game itself. It was a very successful ad, intrinsically linked with the game by British Zelda fans. Notably, the ??ads reflect a time when Nintendo was chiller about its im??age. The idea of them giving up their biggest franchises to ads this dopey, and celebrities this subversive, is wild.

Ma??yall would pass away suddenly in 2014, leaving behind ?a legacy of riotous work.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=krwkNZtM5Sc&ab_channel=Nintend?eroMasked

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (US, 2009)

The beautifully composed ad sees a young man taking his regular subway commute, with a journey that becomes not only a commercial for the hit Nintendo DS release LoZ: Spirit Tracks, but is also a wonderful metaphor for the magic and mystery of The Legend of Zelda itself, which has the ability to pull its fans out of the humdrum cycle?? of everyday life and deposit them into an amazing and engaging world. An escape from ??the woes of the nine-to-five, the frustrations of modern living, and the often-drab commitment to routine. An enjoyable transposing of reality as old as gaming itself.

The visual marrying of themes here works splendidly, from the use of a train for, obviously, Spirit Tracks, to the mobile nature of playi??ng the Nintendo DS itself, with a metropolitan horror aesthetic giving way to the colorful splendor of The World of Hyrule. Commercials such as these represent something of a last hurrah for the medium, soon to be replaced by the far more commonplace "Gameplay Trailer".

As such, i??t's good that so many of the ad makers saw that? their respective franchises went out on a high.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=??yYsgeAmsNHc&??ab_channel=83Chrisaaron

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (JPN, 1998)

Actor and singer Kyoko Fukada plays LoZ: Ocarina of Time and makes reactive noises.

There's your ad. I'm okay with it.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Eo9dh3xg?Q&amp?;ab_channel=Carnivol

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (JPN, 1993)

We welcome back the art of Rad Rappin', only now with added puppetry, as Nintendo Japan chose to market Link's Awakening with this very cute, ver?y fun piece that features marionette versions of Link, Marin, Tarin, The Owl, and The Skeleton Knight, regaling you with the backstory of just how our boy washed up on Koholint Island. A bouncy chorus leads us into our obligatory rhyme-spittin' breakdown, ending on a shot of the ?island and its mysterious Wind Fish Egg.

This would not be the last appearance of puppetry in The Legend of Zelda marketing. Be sure to check out this insanely cute short for The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. Proof, if proof be need be, that puppets make every gaming franchise better, no matter how horrific the source material.

//??www.youtube.com/watch?v=09wBn4ux3N0&ab_channel=ZeldaUniverse

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (US, 2011)

I'm sure that everyone reading this piece remembers Robin Williams, and I'm sure that you're also aware that the comedian and actor named his daughter Zelda, after no less than the princess herself. In 2011, Nintendo would work with the father and daughter on several commercials, which included ads for LoZ: Skyward Sword, LoZ: Four Swords, and LoZ: Ocarina of Time 3D, and see the duo enjoying the new titles, while occasionally offering insights on their relationship with gaming in general and The Legend of Zelda

Of course, this series of commercials have gathered a whole new emotional weight following Robin's sad passing in 2014, a reminder of the quieter real-life nature of a personality who built a career on manic performances and wild, character-based comedic roles. Zelda Williams works in the entertainment industry as a writer, voice actor, and philanthropist, occasionally having fun with her namesake via public appearances at The Legend of Zelda concerts, and cosplaying Link for Halloween i??n 2??019.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2TBHppHX1o&ab_channel=ZeldaUniver??se

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (JPN, 1991)

We have to go out on the highest of highs, and whether you've seen it a thousand times before, or you're seeing it for the very first time, there's no denying the unbridled joy and unabashed wholesomeness of the Japanese commercial for LoZ: A Link to the Past. Backed by the ultra-catchy beat of Japanese rap group Scha Dara Parr,? the one-minute spot sees a full cast of costu??med characters bust out a funkadelic dance routine, set against the backdrop of a cutely theatrical dungeon set.

Our hero Link, once again played by a woman, fends off several memorable enemies from the game, before rescuing the beautiful (and black-haired) Princess Zelda. This is just the beginning of the duo's troubles, as they are then besieged ??by a giant puppet of the evil Ganon. Don't sweat it, a handy two-step will see pig boy outta town. GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!

It's just so much fun, everyone looks great, the translated lyrics are amusing, the track is a real earworm, and the dancing is awesome. It's a real celebration of Link, Zelda, Ganon, and Hyrule itself. I don't know why Nintendo hasn't dug the master out for the HD treatment... Maybe it no longer exists. As I said at the top of the piece, the physical creativity that went into commercials such as this is sorely missed in a post-internet world, but at least that very same technology has allowed us to archive it �in all of its glory �for generations of Zelda fans.

I wonder if Nintendo still has that Ganon puppet?

The post Let’s flashback to some of the greatest Legend of Zelda TV ads appeared first on Destructoid.

This week's episode: The writer's barely...

Gnarly! Hot off of last week's announcement that the hit animated show Totally Spies! was getting set for a long-awaited TV comeback, publisher Microids has announced that it has a brand new video game adaptation in the works, se??t to launch on consoles and PC in 2024, alongside the girl's TV return.

Totally Spies! which originally screened in the very early '00s, sees World Organization of Human Protection (WOOHP) agents Sam, Clover, and Alex embark on a series of deadly (read: silly) missions in order to protect the free world from a rogues' gallery of terrorists and villains, while also attempting to balance their death-defying deeds wit?h the upscale Beverly Hills lifestyles. The show, which ran for over 150 episodes, was notable for its stylistic, anime-inspired approach to its action, screwball comedy, and facial animations.

//www.youtube.com/wa?tch?v=oXpbRn5fDH0&ab_channel=FrancaisToonFan

While Totally Spies! has been off the air sinc?e 2015, with the ending of its sixth season, it was revealed just last week that a seventh season is now in production at Cartoon Network, and is scheduled to premiere in 2024. While no details are currently available on Microids' tie-in video game title, the game has been licensed and commissioned specifi?cally in line with the TV show's return.

"Microids is committed to faithfully and innovatively adapting well-known IP and it is a real honor for us to work on the Totally Spies! license," s??aid Microids CEO Stephane Longeard in a press release. "Thanks to the skills of our studios and in-house teams, we will do everything we can to offer the community a game that meets its expectations."

Totally Spies! will launch on PC and console platforms in 2024.

The post Totally Spies! to return in 202?4 with new season and video game appeared first on Destructoid.

Marge, may I play Devil's Advocate?

Hi, I'm The Industry's Chris Moyse, you might remember me from articles such as 10 Best Lawsuits Filed Against Activision Blizzard and Juri's Soles: Delicious but Deadly, but today I'm here to talk to you about America's favorite animated, non-prehistoric family: The Simpsons.

In the 35+ years that The Simpsons has been on television �only 12 of those being years being Good �Captain Wacky and his family have taken a delightfully satirical stab at practically all forms of ar??t, entertainment, and global services. From comic books to movies, cartoons to pop music, and even services such as Uber and esports in episodes that you haven't seen because you tuned? out years ago.

Of course, video games were another medium that did not escape the satirical eye of The Simpsons' writer's room, and even the earliest of seasons feature a veritable treasure trove of arcades and home console releases, at once completely original and highly familiar. And while all of these titles might not actually exist in the real world, in many cases, they probably should. I'd sell my soul to Milhouse for the opportunity to visit the Noiseland Video Arcade, or for just one round of Robert Goulet Destroyer.

No mom, you idiot...

When "Simpsons-mania" first kicked into high gear in the early 1990s �an era defined by either Bart Simpson or Michaelangelo's face slapped onto every single purchasable item in existence �the gaming community was hit with a tidal wave of frankly rubbish Simpsons tie-in video games. But while writing "The 15 Best Simpsons Games of All Time" would be something of an oxymoron, I'm far more interested in looking at the fictional titles that, for the most part at least, only exist within The Simpsons universe.

So, pour yourself a Frosty Chocolate Milkshake, and let's take a look at The 15 Best Video Games that Exist in The Simpsons Universe �Each and every one of them is worth up to and including $70, while all being a darn sight more entertaining than Bart vs. The Space Mutants...

...or Escape from Kamp Krusty,

...or Bart vs. The Juggernauts,

or...

15. Triangle Wars

First Appearance: "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'em"

Video games had to start somewhere, even in The Simpsons universe, and when Bart visited the run-down arcade center "Captain Blip's Zapateria", he was greeted with some of the formative video games of his generation, including Click Clack, Unipede, Remington Steele: The Game, and Triangle Wars; a thinly-veiled clone of real-world classics such as Asteroids and Joust.

Bart, a filthy casual, is non-plussed with the vector graphics and simplistic sound effects, ultimately bemoaning the fact that h?e wins a free game and is forced to keep playing.

"Now my ship is pooping more triangles!"

A fun side-note, this scene also features a glimpse of the legendary urban myth arcade, Polybius.

14. Halloween Hit 'n' Run

First Appearance: "Special Edna"

When The Simpsons visited the EFCOT Center to attend an award ceremony for the show's best and hottest character, Mrs. Edna Krabappel, her beau, Principal Skinner, also tagged along, hoping to prevent Edna from becoming too successful and thus growing "out of his league". Hoping to entice Bart into sabotaging the award ceremony, Skinner surreptitiously meets his nemesis in a sit-in cabinet for coin-op Halloween Hit 'n' Run.

We don't see much of the game in action, but gameplay seems to consist of simply driving through the suburbs on Halloween night, mowing down as many costumed Trick or Treaters as possible. "Oooh, this game is going to receive some disapproving clucks" intones Skinner. Interestingly enough, the similarly titled Simpsons Hit 'n Run launched in the real world the same year this episode aired. And while it isn't quite as violent, it is considered one of the best-ever Simpsons video games.

//www.youtube.com/watch????v=Qause0z-9tM&ab_channel=ChrisBarker

13. Kevin Costner's Waterworld

First Appearance: "The Springfield Files"

Kevin Costner's Waterworld is an arcade adaptation of the staggeringly expensive movie of the same name, which premiered in 1995, and was the highest-budgeted film of all time to that point, costing somewhere in the region of $180 million USD. The film famously bombed at the box office, failing to recoup its costs for many years, only making back its strat??ospheric budget after years on the hom?e video market.

The arcade version costs Milhouse 40 quarters ($10) for a credit, and only sees the protagonist take a couple of steps before the game demands more cash from the player. A series of real-life Waterworld games existed on SNES, Gam?e Boy, PC, and??, bizarrely, Virtual Boy.

Today, much like the Star Wars prequels, revisionist history states that Waterworld was misunderstood, but, also like the Star Wars prequels, it's actually Just Rubbish.

12. Grand Theft Walrus

First Appearance: "The Simpsons Movie"

Appearing in the Focus-Grouped-to-Death big-screen release, The Simpsons Movie, Grand Theft Walrus is briefly seen during Homer's trip to, sigh, "Eski-Moe's" in Alaska. In the game, a sports car drives Walrus pulls up to the curb, where he is entertained by a Happy Feet-style dancing penguin. The Walrus then bl??ows ?the penguin throw the window with a shotgun.

Speaking of Blows, this scene says a lot about The Simpsons Movie's methodology compared to regular TV Simpsons. Grand Theft Walrus isn't stylized to look anything like an actual video game, with the clip essentially being a Family Guy-esque "cutaway", shot with standard animation. Additionally, rather than be a bespoke title, it's simply a full-on Grand Theft Auto spoof, complete with Rockstar font.

As those who have studied the development of The Simpsons Movie can attest, producers were obsessed with ensuring that every single joke/reference would be fully understood by every single member of the audience, everywhere.? This led to a nightmare production of endless producer notes, constant character redesigns, frequent scene rewrites, and a thoroughly miserable experience for everyone involved.

Spider Pig. Brilliant.

11. Panamanian Strongman

First Appearance: "Boy Scoutz n' The Hood"

This bizarre, but awesome title?? puts the player?? in control of what appears to be a King Kong-sized version of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, as he battles World War II biplanes while scaling the Panama Capitol Building.

Despite Bart's mantra of "Be In the Game, Not Of the Game", the Panamanian Strongman falls from the tower, where he is kicked repeatedly by a digitized George Bush, who delivers the solemn and iconic arcade slogan of the '80s: "Winners Don't Use Drugs". Bart declares out loud that he is out of quarters, which leads to the activation of a high-security system of alarm bells and electric doors, culminating in the Squeaky-Voiced ??Teen informing the friends that they must leave.

No Es Bueno.

//www.y??outube.com/watch?v=1uqRRuckLjI&ab_channel=Chris??Thompson

10. Let's Make a Baby

First Appearance: "This Little Wiggy"

Unfortunately, we don't get to see any gameplay footage of this particularly extravagant game, which is played by both Homer and Krusty the Clown during a visit to the Springfield Science Museum. We have to ??include it purely for its top-tier theme and hi-tech cabinet, however, which sees th??e player operate a fully mobile, raised chair, firing digi-sperm at a screen in the hope of helping the target to conceive.

"Ovulate, Damn You! Ovulate!"

Sadly for Homer, a sultry voice informs him that he is out of sperm, and he sadly slinks away from this wonderment of physical game design. Of all the games on this list, this is most assuredly t?he one that this writer would be particularly terrible at. Well, that's decades of SSRIs for you.

9. Earthland Realms

First Appearance: "Marge Gamer"

In 2007, someone in The Simpsons writer's room heard that World of Warcraft exists, and thus set out to dedicate an entire episode to MMO culture, less than a year after South Park had already pulled the same gag (even roping in developer Blizzard to help with the episode's production). The Simpsons' take on MMOs sees a bored Marge dive into the fantasy world of Earthland Realms, an obvious pastiche of the WoW/Everquest-style online RPG.

We soon discover that almost everyone in Springfield is an Earthland Realms player, all of whom live in fear of the terrifying Shadow Knight, who has been killing off their characters with reckless abandon. It turns out that The Shadow Knight is, in reality, Marge's Special Little Guy. Marge is accidentally killed by Bart's character, who then expends his own health in order to revive her. Though The Shadow Knight is then killed by the other players while in his weakened state, the resurrected Marge goes ??on a vengeful rampage of her own.

Wow, The Last of Us was right, revenge is cyclical. You're deep, Druckmann.

8. Touch of Death

First Appearance: "When Flanders Failed"

After Bart decides to take up karate classes, he quits minutes into the first lesson once he realizes that he isn't going to be trusted with throwing stars and death blows anytime soon. Instead, he takes a trip down the mall concourse to the arcade, where he indulges in a few rounds of ninja battler Touch of Death. After landing a few blows, Bart hits the titular Touch of Death button, which immediately kills his oppo??nent and sees his soul leave his body.

Later, when asked what he's learned in Karate class, Bart tells the family he learned "The Touch of Death", demonstrating the made-up technique on Lisa, ("Bart, don't use The Touch of Death on your sister.") Bart's lies catch up with him later, however, when he gets his ass handed to him by Dolph, Jimbo, and Kearney. It's funny how sometimes two wrongs can make a right.

While Touch of Death appears to be a Mortal Kombat pastiche, Midway was still two years away from releasing the violent scrapper, so ToD is more jus?t an amalgamation of various fighti?ng games.

//www.yout??ube.com/watch?v=Apne-itN6gE&ab_c?hannel=eexot

7. Larry the Looter

First Appearance: "Radio Bart"

During Bart's brilliantly shit 10th birthday party at Wall E. Weasel's pizzeria, ("You're the birthday boy or girl"), we get to see him play a round of Larry the Looter. This pretty ??simple and anarchic title sees the player indulge in a spot of smash and grab, breaking into store windows and stealing goods, unfortunately, just seconds into the game, Larry is taken down by a heat-packing street vendor, who blows the thief's head clean off h?is shoulders with a double-barreled shotgun.

Larry the Looter is a pretty important title in The Simpsons universe, as it would define the show's general approach to satirizing video games, depicting them mostly as overly violent, short-lived, expensive, and generally rewarding the player for committing criminal acts. Additionally, Australian indie developer GumpyFunction recreated Larry the Looter as a Flash title in 2014.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4Noo9xXKf8&ab_channel=Jos%C3%??A9RuizD%C3%ADaz

6. Cat Fight

First Appearance: "Bart Star"

As a dedicated Skullgirls player, Cat Fight might be my favorite fighting game to appear in The Simpsons universe, located at the Local 7/11 We No Longer Talk About, Cat Fight sees two young women battling it out at t?he local mall, complete with deadly maneuvers such as slapping, (with nails, obviously), hair pulling, and biting. The game also features some pretty radical cabinet art, as well as some surprisingly clear digitized speech.

The graphics and animation shown here are a massive step up from other fighters featured in the series. Just look at it, this is Street Fighter 6 to Touch of Death's Kasumi Ninja. And one can only imagi??ne the awesome roster, consisting of a Soccer Mom Grappler, a mid-r??ange Stage Mom, as well as the particularly aggressive rushdown character, High School Clique Girl.

5. My Dinner with Andre

First Appearance: "Boy Scoutz n' the Hood"

Man cannot live by shooters and GTA clones alone, and that's why we have cerebral titles like Disco Elysium, Superliminal, Papers, Please, and My Dinner With Andre. Based upon Louis Malle's 1981 drama, this video game adaptation has Wallace Shaw and Andre Greg??ory settle down for a deadly battle of wits and entrees, with the player conducting the flow of conversation via a unique control system that includes "Trenchant Insight", "Tell Me More", and an ice-breaking "Bon Mot".

This is one of Noiseland's least popular games, as demonstrated by the lack of a queue behind Martin Prince, but that's because all of you just want to play Fortnite and Candy Crush Saga all the fucking time. What d??o you want? It's not my job to broaden your horizons. Sor??ry your parents didn't do better.

4. Dash Dingo

First Appearance: "Lard of the Dance"

When Lisa finds herself too sick to go to school, despite pleading otherwise, (Stupid Lisa Science Queen), Marge suggests that she instead play some video games to pass the time. Choosing into-the-screen platformer Dash Dingo, Lisa is initially disgusted by the game's DownUnderVerse settin??g and Nunchuk-wielding koalas, "What???! Those aren't even Australian!".

However, Dash Dingo's compelling gameplay kicks in, and Lisa finds herself borderline addicted to this suspiciously familiar adventure, ultimately abandoning her reading assignment in order to continue our hero's quest to find and devour the Seven Crystal Babies. I mean it was only The Wind in The Willows: Toad steals a?? bunch of motor cars an?d everybody gets really middle-class about it. The End.

3. Super Slugfest

First Appearance: "Moaning Lisa"

One of the best-remembered arcs from The Simpsons' terribly-voiced first season sees Homer desperate to beat his son at the ultra-violent boxing title Super Slugfest. Having failed to land a single punch in the pair's many matchups, Homer goes looking for professional help, hitting the local arcade and asking Springfield's best Super Slugfest player for some advice. It's essentially The Simpsons predicting MetaFy.

Returning home, Homer proceeds to pound the tar out of Bart, exposin??g him as the total fraud we all know he is. Sadly, however, Marge pulls the plug just as Homer is about to deliver the death blow. Bart then retires from the game "undefeated", setting a standard for all those FGC players w??ho frequently fail to turn up to nationals once they get word that folk who beat them online will be in attendance.

Super Slugfest itself is a real icon of The Simpsons, ??well remembered for it?s ridiculously violent approach to the sport of kings, complete with uppercut decapitations and in-ring grave dancing.

2. Bonestorm

First Appearance: "Marge Be Not Proud"

Notable episode "Marge Be Not Proud" gave us what is arguably THE two best video games from the entire Simpsons canon. Bonestorm, a clear Mortal Kombat clone complete with Pit?? stage, Goro-alike, and techno music, is considered the must-have title for all video game fans in Springfield. Even Bart's best friend Thrillho has a copy, such is the mass appeal of this violent one-on-one fighter.

Buy me Bonestorm or Go to Hell.

Unable to purchase a copy for himself, and egged on by Mario and Sonic, no less, Bart indulges in a spot of five-finger-discount and steals the game from the local Try and Save, leading to an encounter with security guard Don Brodka. Don't smart mouth him, smart guy. Jesting aside, this episode is a pretty good satire of pester power marketing, FOMO, and Hype vs. Quality, (Thrillho quickly gets bored of Bonestorm, choosing instead to dedicate his spare time to Cup?? and Ball).

Marge Be Not Proud is rightly remembered for its good pacing, sharp scripting, and genuine heart. But what this famous episode is best remembered for isn't Brodka, or Thrillho, or even Bonestorm...

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVXLok6fOU0&ab_channel=Simpsons?Clips

1.  Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge

First Appearance: "Marge Be Not Proud"

There is no more iconic title in the world of The Simpsons than the iconic, imitable, and endlessly iconic Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. It is a game Marge mistakenly buys Bart thinking that it is the must-have title of the season, and while Bart does a good job of hiding his disappointment, he has no idea that ??he has actually received a true piece of gaming his??tory.

T??????????????????????????his GOTY-contender features a series of incredibly simplist??ic golfing putts, guided by none other than Lee Carvallo himself, who offers the player club suggestions and other general tips �Many of which revolve around "feather touch". A ton of work has gone into the title, including the implementation of pointless clubs and drive strengths, as well as the full rendering of the course's parking lot, where your ball will most assuredly end up. Plus you get a Scoring Pencil!

Still referenced by fans decades after its debut, Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge would be recreated in as a real-life Flash game by developer Aaron Demeter. An adaptation that would receive promotion on Twitter from no less than long-time Simpsons writer Bill Oakley. Given its cultural impact, the constant referencing by fans of both The Simpsons and video games, and the fact that people are still finding out today that Lee Carvallo is, in fact a fictional character...

Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge is, without a doubt, the best video game in The Simpsons' universe.

Would you like to read again? You have selected ??"No??."

The post 15 b??est video games that exist in The S??impsons universe appeared first on Destructoid.

I just wanna see my Queen Myrrah

The Netflix adaptation of Epic Games' blockbuster series Gears of War is now entering its pre-production phase, ??having scored Academy Award-nominated writer Jon Spaihts to pen its grim tale of the down-and-dirty conflict betwee??n the dwindling human race and the ruthless, subterranean Locust.

"We’re thrilled to partner with Jon and the Netflix team to bring Gears of War to life,�stated developer?? The Coalition in comments? to Variety. "Jon is a master storyteller with a talent for creating epic, science-fiction universes, and he truly loves Gears of War. We couldn’t?? ask for a better par?tner to honor our franchise and deliver an authentic story to our fans."

Spaihts is no stranger to dark dystopias, having penned the 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, alongside director Denis Villeneuve and co-writer Eric Roth, a role which saw Spaights up for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2022 Academy Awards. Alongside Dune, Spaihts also wrote Doctor Strange (2016) for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as Alien spin-off Prometheus (2012). Along with the Gears of War gig, Spaihts also resumed work alongside Villeneuve for Dune: Part Two, which will premiere in November of this year.

Netflix' partnership with Gears developer The Coalition is expected to result in the initial live-action feature, to be followed by an animated series and further unannounced projects. This latest endeavor is the closest the sci-fi/action series has come to a live-action adaptation, following on from years and years of repeated attempts to bring the world of The COG and The Locust to the screen. Gears of War has a deceptively deep story and universe. Correctly executed, a big (or small) screen version of the original trilogy could be a ??genuine televisual event.

Netflix’s Gears of War Movie Tap??s Dune and Doctor Stra??nge Writer Jon Spaihts [Variety]

The post Netflix’ Gears of War scores Dune writer Jon Spaihts appeared first on Destructoid.

HBO series faces down The Academy Awards

This weekend saw a massive army of Fireflies glue to their TV screens, as HBO aired the ninth and final episode of its highly acclaimed series, The Last of Us �The show, an adaptation of ??the Naughty Dog game of the same name, broke its own viewership record, pulling in an amazing ?8.2 million viewers.

The lofty number represents the solid growth that the sci-fi/horror series has maintained since its premiere in ??January of this year. Episode 1 got off to a solid start with almost five million viewers, and the figures have seen a steady increase with each successive episode. The previous record was held by last week's Episode 8, which now sits in second place with around 8.1 million viewers.

Related: The Last of Us Episodes Ranked on PrimaGames

/??/www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLtkt8BonwM&ab_channel=HBOMax

Episode 9's success is even more amazing when you consider that The 95th Acadamy Awards were aired on the same night. And while many had assumed that Hollywood's annual party would have cut into the viewing figures of all shows that evening, it seemed that nothing was keeping the fans from watching the violent and shocking final scenes of Joel and ?Ellie's first-season adventures.

HBO's The Last of Us has already secured a second season, although recent comments to GQ from show creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin suggest that they are hoping for at least three seasons, with seasons 2 & 3 expected to cover the events of 2012's dramatic video game sequel, The Last of Us Part II. With these impressive viewing figures under their belt, it is likely the production team have been "blank chequed", a?nd will get said wish with ease.

The Last of Us Season 1 Finale Scores 8.??2 Mil?lion Viewers [Variety]

The post The Last of Us dramatic finale broke the show’s viewership record appeared first on Destructoid.

Abby, are you ok?

This past weekend saw fans, fervent with anticipation, tune in for the season finale of HBO's The Last of Us, bringing to an end the first season of the acclaimed adaptation of Naughty Dog's 2012 video game �And according to new comments from the show's runners??, they're only just ge?tting started.

Speaking in an interview with GQ, (contains season one spoilers), game director Neil Druckmann and show writer/director Craig Mazin expressed their intentions for the grim tale to continue for at least two further seasons. The exceptionally dark events of video game sequel The Last of Us Part II are not expected to be encapsulated in the show's second season, with plans to expand the tale?? out into a third season, at the very least.

//www.youtube.com/watch??v=uLtkt8BonwM&ab_channel=HBOMax

Mazin spoke of the adjustments that will be required in order to bring The Last of Us Part II's shifting protagonist/antagonist structure and timeline divisio?n to the TV screen.

"I think we know what we’re doing on this one," said Mazin of the task. "I’m not saying that in a snarky way, I’m saying that in a hopeful way. There are going to be things that are going to be different, and there are things that are going to be identical. There are things that are going to be added and enriched. There are some things that are going to be f?lipped. Our goal remains exactly what it was for the first season, which is to deliver a show that makes fans happy."

"We’ve got an incredible r??eturning cast. It’s a daunting task. But Jesus, so was the first season. You can’t make everyone happy. But we’ve made a lot of people happy and that’s our intention to do it again."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v?=vhII1qlcZ4E&ab_channel=PlayStation

The Last of Us Part II, which launched in 2020, famously introduces secondary protagonist Abby Anderson, a member of the Firefly militia who is fueled by vengeance over the death of her father. The arrival of Abby in the series introduced a methodology of vengeance, and redemption, attempting to portray the cyclical nature of violence itself �especially in regard to revenge �as well as the shifting perspective of who is "right". Though ambitious in intent, it, unfortunately, was not a thread that impressed all, leading to some absolutely shocking behavior from certain members of the gaming community.

In the GQ interview, Druckmann and Mazin also speak about their overall thoughts on season one, the audience reaction to the highly praised third episode, and the ways in which they consider altering the narrative. The interview contains major spoilers for the finale of season one. So consider yourself warned.

The Last of Us finale writers on that cliffhanger ending [GQ]

The post HBO’s The Last of Us expected to run for at least three seasons appeared first on Destructoid.

We all saw this one coming

HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us has been one of the biggest hits for the platform in about a decade, garnering a staggering 10 million viewers within the first two days of the premiere alone, as well as gaining the most viewers from a first to second episode of any show ever on HBO. It pretty much felt like the show was going to get a renewal as soon as we saw the success of the premiere episode, so the writing was on the w??all with? this one. We haven't gotten any other official info from the announcement so far �we just know Season 2 will be on the way.

//twitter.com/TheLastofUs?HBO/status/1619017515581018112

As far as the content of Season 2, we know as per the show's creators that it will be covering the events of The Last of Us Part II, as this first season will come to a close along with the first game's story. One thing to consider is that the sequel is considerably longer than its predecessor �over double the length in terms of hours �so there's a chance that they'll need more than one season to tackle its narrative. In an interview from The Hollywood Reporter, Neil Druckmann revealed that they don't have any plans for the show??'s story to go beyond the games.

Personally, I think my viewing experience of The Last of Us will have to end with Season 1. My curiosity is enough to carry me through as of now, but I don't think I'll have it in me to sit through a whole other season �especially because the story of Part II wasn't my favorite to begin with. As a fan, I'm happy to see the franchise thriving, but I've spent so much time thinking and talking about it, I think it's time to move on for a while after I finish covering Season 1.

The post HBO’s The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season appeared first on Destructoid.

It seems the iconic Red Rocket station will be featured in the show

With the success of HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us, the future for game-to-TV adaptations is looking brighter than ever. We don't have a ton of info on Amazon's Fallout series as of yet, but based on my optimism and some unofficial photos of the set that have leaked on Twitter, it looks like this series will at least have the set design to contend with some of the greats that have come before it. A fan who goes by J Carson on Twitter found the show's set still under construction in New York and was able to snap a whole series of photos, which feature the real-life replica of Fallout's famed Red Rocket filling station.

//twitter.com/jcarson_nyack?/status/1617702118986776578

You can see in the photos that the Red Rocket sign is still covered in plastic, and J Carson mentions that the rocket itself hasn't been built as of the taking of the photos �there's also a chance it won't be built at all if they plan on adding it in post. Through the wheel??barrows and construction lifts, you can start to get a sense of what the station will look like in the final show. As a fan of retro futurism myself, I kind of wish all of our gas stations looked like this, minus the rust and wreckage.

//twitter.com/jcarson_nyack/status/1617634197539282944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1617634197539282944%7Ctwgr%5E7859c18c9d3bdbade0720ecde40b787de11d696b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3??A%2F%2Fwww.pcgamer.com%2Fnew-fallout-tv-series-set-photos-show-iconic-red-rocket-gas-s??tation%2F

As for any screenshots from the upcoming Fallout series, we only have one official image so far �it features two figures in Vault suits with the number 33 on the back looking toward another figure silhouetted in the illuminated opening of a Vault door. These fan photos are the first we're seeing of the show's take on the wastelands, but even in its unfinished form, the Red Rocket has me hyped up for the series all over again. The show is set to go into production sometime this year after having secured its showrunners and a director for the premiere, so i??t's only a matter of time before we get some more ??details on what's to come.

The post Some unofficial photos o??f the Fallout TV series set?? just dropped appeared first on Destructoid.

Cityscapes, cordyceps, and cinders

The second episode of The Last of Us television series is here, and regardless of what any given viewer thinks of the show, no one can deny that the creators are taking risks. While the premiere episode laid out a solid introduction to the series, it still left a lot of fans wondering what direction the story might take in the coming weeks. But this week's episode, "Infected," set a whole new tone, for better or for worse.?? Whether or not you liked it, there's no denying that this second chapter laid it all out there and made some bold choices. It's up to us to discuss and decide if the changes were worth it. Let's break down the episode, and get into it.

Recap time

Episode Two: “Infected��run time 52 mins

The episode opens in Indonesia two days before the outbreak is in full swing, where government officials take custody of a professor of mycology (the study of fungi) from the University of Indonesia. At a lab, the professor goes into a laboratory to take a look at a woman who was bitten by what appears to be another person. The professor flees in horror when she sees that fungi are growi?ng inside of the dead Infected woman, especially after pulling still-wriggling fungal tendrils from out of the dead woman's mouth. The terrified professor makes it clear t?hat there is no medicine or cure for this ailment, and she encourages the government official to bomb the entire city with everyone inside. Roll opening credits.

[caption id="attachment_359351" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Ellie wakes up in an abandoned building to Joel and Tess watching her like a hawk. Joel is still skept?ical of Ellie's supposed immunity, and he encourages Tess to stop giving Ellie hope of living because of her bite. After some more back-and-forth about whether or not they should take Ellie back, she reveals to them that the Fireflies were taking her west to a base where they would try to find a cure. Joel is annoyed and says he's heard it all before, but Tess convinces him to move forward because they'll get what they want from the Fireflies regardless after dropping Ellie off. Ellie asks for a gun and both Tess and Joel say no.

Out in the open

They step out into the open city and we get a shot of the iconic leaning skyscraper from the game, which served as the first big set piece. We get some backstory and character quips as they walk through the ruined downtown area of Boston, and while going through a flooded hotel lobby, Ellie divulges she doesn't swim. She also does the bit where she acts out being both a snobby hotel guest and recep??tionist, which for those who don't know is a beloved (and somewhat hidden) character moment from the game. One of the hallways on their usual route is caved in, so Tess has to go around, leaving Joel and Ellie are left alone to have a stilted conversation where she tries to get to know him a little bit better.

[caption id="attachment_359352" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Upon coming across a scene of dozens of Infected writhing around on the ground in a huge pile, Tess explains to Ellie that they're all connected in a sort of hive mi?nd through a network of fungal way lines that grow under the ground. She says that stepping on a patch of the cordyceps fungus in one area can alert "a dozen Infected from somewhere else."

They decide to cut through a museum (another iconic location from the game) where they find a freshly-mauled man �Ellie says it didn't look anything like that when she encountered the Infected that bit her. After a tense walk up the stairs, the trio encounters two Clickers: monsters in an advanced stage of infection who are blinded by fungus growing out of their heads, and the series' most classic enemies. They make?? it out, and seem shaken but relatively unscathed. After taking a moment to catch their collective breath, we get the exchange from the game where Joel and Ellie comment on the view from the roof of the museum.

End of the line

When they reach the Capital Building, which was supposed to be the meetup spot with the Fireflies, they find ?that some of them became infected, and while the non-infected Fireflies tried to defend themselves, everyone ended up dead. When Tess frantically starts searching for clues of where to go next, Ellie figures out that Tess was actually bitten back at the museum and is now infected. Tess asks Joel to take Ellie to Bill and Frank's so th??at she might go on to the Fireflies to help make a cure, and in turn help "right the wrongs" that Tess and Joel have enacted.

Joel shoots an Infected, which alerts a horde of more Infected via the fungal way lines. Tess starts pouring gasoline, grenades, and other ammunition onto the ground and demands that Joel and Ellie flee, and the former of which reluctantly does so (Ellie doesn't have a say, as Joel grabs her by?? the arm and drags her kicking and s??creaming out of the room). As the Infect start barreling in, Tess is having trouble getting her lighter going.

[caption id="attachment_359358" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

One of the Infected slowly walks up to a horrified-looking Tess, and then gives her a fully open mouth kiss so that his fungus tendrils go into her mouth. She manages to ignite the lighter, and we see the building explode with Joel and Ellie safely outside. We end on a shot of ??Ellie staring breathlessly into the distance as the Capital Building smolders behind her.

My thoughts

This second episode was a doozy, so I'll try to start with the less controversial stuff. Overall, this was a slow 52 minutes. It felt like we lost a lot of time repeating the same points in conversations, taking too ??long to get to the point, or taking too many little pauses between actions that left everything feeling like it was lurching along to me. I also didn't get a great sense of flow with this episode. One of my friends that I was watching with described it as a collage, and I honestly think this image conveys the structure of this second chapter in the story well. It felt like the creators (so I guess Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, in this case) plucked moments out of the game and stitched them together simply because they wanted to include them, rather than considering why those mome?nts worked so well in the game.

The best example of this, I thought, was the bit where Ellie pretended to have a conversation with herself at the flooded hotel's reception desk. The hotel is a pretty famous (or infamous, I guess) level in the game that comes much later than where it ?was here, but I'll let that lie �changes like that are usually?? pretty harmless. What I didn't like about how this moment was implemented, though, was that Ellie went out of her way from a clear objective to partake in this moment, seemingly for no other reason than for the show to grind to a halt and go "Hey, remember when this happened in the game?"

When that moment happens in the game, Joel and Ellie are already exploring the area at a leisurely pace, so it makes perfect sense that she would slack off for a moment to have a little fun in an otherwise bleak day-to-day. It's also just a lot later? in the story, too, when Ellie is much more at ease with Joel and feels freer to be herself.

[caption id="attachment_359354" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Okay, I know I'm already getting into the weeds a bit here. I get that they want viewers who have never played the game to be able to experience its most iconic moments, but plucking them out of context takes away from their overall impact, in my opinion. If they want?ed to include those moments, I think they should have been a bit more careful when weaving them into the flow of the episode. It's a cute moment, but a cute moment without the support from the appropriate context from the character's arc or the overall story leaves it feeling hollow and devoid of any substance. I see this as a recurring pattern over the past two episodes, with the hotel lobby being the obvious moment this time around.

Taking a chance

Remember those risks I mentioned earlier? Yeah, it's time to talk about those. We knew going in that they were going to change the way the Infected "work," so to speak, namely by removing the detail that the fungal virus is spread by spores in the air. Ignoring the fact that that's actually how fungus spreads in real life, they opted instead to have Tess explain to Ellie? (or rather, info dump) how the Infected are actually all connected through those fungal way lines that grow between them through the ground. Digging deeper into the zombie lore stuff is their prerogative with the show; I was the one who asked them to do something to set it apart from the game, right? But to me, spending all this time setting up new rules about how the zombies work is a waste of precious screen time on something that never really mattered to the series in the first place.

[caption id="attachment_359355" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

The Last of Us is zombie fiction �the thing about The Last of Us, though, with its intense focus on character-driven storytelling, is that the zombies don't really matter. The fungus thing is a nice twist, but they could be shark zombies or straight-up aliens for all I care. What makes The Last of Us different than anything else in the already ove??r-saturated zombie media market is its characters, and what it does with them. What makes the Infected the most interesting, in my opinion, is the high-stakes, pressure cooker context they provide that builds the framework for some robust, satisfying, and ultimately really moving character work.

When it comes to the Clicker scene... it wasn't my favorite. It was chaotic, but not?? in like an I'm-on-the-edge-of-my-seat kind of way. It was more of an I-can't-tell-what-the-hell-is-going-on kind of thing. Between the extreme shaky cam and incomprehensible cuts, it's near-impossible to follow, even upon repeat viewings. It was cool to see Clickers, though, because they are a fun monster. I just didn't think the scene was shot or edited in a particularly compelling way, from a horror standpoint.

[caption id="attachment_359356" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

We gotta talk about the kiss

I'll end on the same note that the episode does: Tess' kiss. Anna Torv does a phenomenal job as Tess and brings something ?new to the role (something I'm still holding my breath to see from Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal), but they really lost me with the kiss. I've heard all kinds of explanations for why it's there, including the one from Mazin himself, but it just... doesn't work for me. It's certainly gross. It's certainly shocking. But I don't like gross and shocking for the sake of it.

Look, I was an English major. There are any number of "viable" reasons as to why it might be in there, from nature's ultimate triumph over man to the liminal bliss of the moment between life and death to some sort of twisted sexual commentary I don't care to describe even in a hypothetical situation. My point here is that The Last of Us has always been violent and brutal, but gross-out/body horror has never been in its wheelhouse. It feels too tonally dissonant to work for me, but?? I guess that's something we can hash out in the comments.

[caption id="attachment_359353" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

In conclusion

Overall, I think what the show is missing the most for me so far is a clear sense of focus. It feels all over the place, especially in this second episode. Like a collage. We still have a whole lot of show left, so there's a good chance it could surprise me along the way, or even bring me back around by the ?end. I know I'm extra harsh as a big fan of the game, so I'll be interested to hear what non-gamers think of the whole ordeal.

So far I ce??rtainly don't think it's the worst thing I've ever seen, but I certainly don't think it's great, either. As for now, I'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes in the coming weeks. At least while there are still epis??odes out ahead of us, I can still have some hope that I'll come out on the other side with a mostly positive view.

Check out the rest of Destructoid’s coverage of the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us here.

[Disclosure: It’s important to disclose that I worked at Naughty Dog for a period of time during the development of The Last of Us Part II. My work did not involve or touch upon any of the content that is covered in the first season of HBO The Last of Us, but we believe it necessary and prudent to emphasize my time at the studio nonetheless. �Noelle Warner]

The post HBO’s The Last? of Us Episode 2: Recap and thoughts appeared first on Destructoid.

It was HBO's second-biggest premiere in 13 years

Let's be honest �we all knew HBO's The Last of Us adaptation was going to be popular, it was just a matter of quite how popular it would turn out to be. As expected, it was a massive success, and a tweet from HBO Max confirmed it: the show surpassed 10 million viewers within two days of its premiere, and that only accounts for the viewers in the United States, according to HBO. Those numbers are broken down into 4.7 million streams on premiere night last Sunday, January 15, which means an additional 5.3 viewers tuned in the following day. I'd bet a good percentage of those people saw the hype online and wanted to see what all the fuss was about, because the serie?s has lit up social media like the Fourth of July this week.

//twitter.com/Variety/status/1615795010540302338

With numbers like that, The Last of Us has secured a spot as the second-most watched premiere of a show on HBO since 2010, second only to House of the Dragon with 9.98 million viewers. While The Last of Us had the benefit of a pre-built fanbase of gamers to flock to the streaming platform on opening night, House of the Dragon had the advantage of being a spin-off of another one of HBO's most successful series of all time: Game of Thrones.

HBO has also stated that numbers tend to grow significantly in the weeks after a show has premiered, with only 20-40% of its total numbers coming from Sunday night viewership. This means The Last of Us can be expected to be seeing even bigger numbers as time goes on, and as a fan of the series myself, I can imagine it's only a matter of time bef??ore even the most hardened skeptics cave to the curiosity �especially when it comes to seeing the adaptations of the show's most iconic scenes that are still ahead?.

The post The Last of Us HB??O series hit a stunn?ing 10 million viewers within 2 days of its premiere appeared first on Destructoid.

More games based on TV shows, please

Video game adaptations are more popular than ever, especially when it comes to the games-to-TV/film side of things �just look at the endless conversations surrounding HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us. Last year I wrote a list of my dream TV shows based on game?? franchises, and now that some of those are actually coming true, I thought it was high time to flip ??things around the other way and bring about even more manifestation.

Although they had a heyday in the early-to-mid 2000s in the form of licensed shovelware, TV-to-game adaptations are few and far between as of late �but that doe??sn’t mean there aren’t some awesome IPs that would make for some killer adaptations into video games. Here’s a short list of some of my current favorite TV shows th?at would absolutely dominate as interactive content.

Breaking Bad as a GTA-style open-world game

[caption id="attachment_358879" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Netflix[/caption]

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan himself stated that he wants a GTA-style open-world game inspired by the show and ??I for one am inclined to agree with him. I really think that if we all demand this enough times, we can finally get someone to cave and just make the damn thing already. I can imagine that there’s a good deal of crossover between fan?s of the GTA series and Breaking Bad already, so the demographic is already there.

It’s already a blast to see Walter and Jesse running around Albuquerque and beyond acting as some of the toughest drug lords around, so the desire to play as them be the tough drug lords ourselves is the next natural progression. I can already see it now �driving around town in the RV, busting up anyone who gets in my way, a mini-game to cook my ??very own inventory, and unlocking a secret achievement for throwing a pizza on the roof of Walter’s house. There’s certainly not a lack of great source material to pull fr?om over the show’s five-season run; it pulls off something most s??hows can’t by staying consistently excellent all the way through.

Succession as a Disco Elysium-style RPG

[caption id="attachment_358880" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Succession is one of those shows that’s in its own league in its me???dium, similar to Disco Elysium’s status in games. I’m sure y?ou can see where I’m going?? with this.

The point-and-click genre is already predis?posed to take on murder mysteries really well, b?ut I think a Disco Elysium-style text-heavy RPG that centers on c??orporate intrigue and espionage would be blow-your-socks-off incredible. Much like Disco Elysium, Succession also feels like an epic, Shakespearean tale that dea?ls with themes of morality and how ??your choices define you.

Whether players would take on the role of one of the show’s main cast, or some lackey who’s trying to work their way up through the fictional Waystar Royco company, there could be all kinds of avenues for different choic?es and story paths. Not to mention, you could do some really fun stuff with different stats that are specifically benefic??ial to have in the corporate world.

Ultimately, Succession is a sho?w that has huge stakes and a ton of tension in every episode, ??and yet it consists of nothing more than people standing in a room and talking. That kind of whip-smart, slow-build writing is absolutely perfect for a text-heavy game in the style of something like Disco Elysium.

Survivor as a social deduction game

[caption id="attachment_358882" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via CBS[/caption]

Survivor is a show I used to binge on the regular with my family after dinner, and I recently got back in??to it after sitting my friend down to show them all of my favorite seasons. Not only is Survivor stellar reality TV, but i?t’s also just a great game �it involves social dynamics as a main mechanic, has a 23-year history of evolving gameplay meta, and always throws in new twists and advantages to force pla??yers to shake things up.

Then we look back to games, and socia?l deduction games like Among Us have ??dominated for the past few years. There’s technically already a Survivor video game that came out in 2001, but we’ve clearly come a long way since the??n. Take the social deduction part of Among Us, take the “physical challenge�aspects of Fall Guys, throw all of your closest friends into a lobby, and you’d have one?? of the best Friday nights of your life �even players who get voted out early coul?d have a blast in their own chat channel as members of the Jury. Tell me I’m wrong.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend as a dating sim

[caption id="attachment_358883" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Netflix[/caption]

This is probably the most out-there entr?y on this list, but I had to include it because Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is one of my absolute favorite sho??ws of all time. There comes a point in the later seasons where the show’s protagonist Rebecca is faced with choosing between three love interests, which is rife with dating sim potential if you ask me.

The show is also a musical (you probably recognize some of the songs that became memes, even if you’ve never seen t??he show in your life), so some rhythm games would slot nicely into this whole affair as you navigate Rebecca’s love life. What’s more, she’s also a lawyer, so if the hypothetical developers really wanted to get fancy with it, they could also throw in some Phoenix Wright-esque court cases to solve.

The show also has a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek tone, which is absolutely something I’d love to see more of in games. I sometimes feel like this industry takes itse?lf way ?too seriously, which an IP like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend would actively defy. Plus, the show handles tough topics like mental health issues better than most out there, and I think it would be productive to move some more of that conversation t?o the games space as well.

Barry as a narrative-heavy stealth shooter

[caption id="attachment_358884" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO[/caption]

Another one of the best ??shows that’s airing ri??ght now, Barry has set new standards in this age of television again and again. One of its biggest strengths is the ever-growing contrast between his personal life and his “job,�which I think would make for some compelling gameplay. On one side, you could have some more relaxed sections that focus more on talking with the side characters, making friends, going to acting class, and so on. Then of course there’s the ass?assin side, where Barry goes on missions with stealth and shooting mechanics. 

There's tons to pull from between the show’s tight character work and bomb??astic action scenes, so I have faith that a video game version of Barry would be a fun, fresh take on the IP. Genre-bending games are also having their heyday right now, and if the v??ision I have in my head of the entire look of fe?el of the game-changing between the two sides of Barry’s personality came to life, it could make a name as a truly unique piece of interactive storytelling.

The post My five dream TV-to-game adaptations appeared first on Destructoid.

Look for the light �a recap of The Last of Us' premiere episode

HBO's adaptation of the beloved narrative game The Last of Us has been highly anticipated for months and even years �either by fans of the series or otherwise. Now that it's finally out, the takes have started rolling in, and the first episode has been a bit more divisive among fans than the early, glowing critic reviews suggested. This first installment covered the opening few hours of the game, from its emotional opening to the crew's first steps out of the q?uarantine zone. Of course, there are quite a few ways in which the show deviates from its source material, which we will cover in the re?cap below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLtkt8BonwM

Let's recap, shall we?

Episode One: "When You're Lost in the Darkness" �run time 81 mins

The show opens with two scienti??sts on the set of a talk show in 1968 where they answer questions about a newly-discovered fungal virus that could potentially spread to humans. After a bit of exposition dumping about how the fungus controls the mind of its host, we're met with a very HBO-looking opening credits sequence with fungus spreading and growing across the screen.

J??oel and Sarah are having a nice conversation over breakfast when we meet Joel's brother Tommy. We learn that Joel and Sarah have some elderly neighbors, the Adlers, who Sarah will sometimes go over and begrudgingly spend time with. As Sarah goes to school and into town to get Joel's watch fixed for his birthday, we hear ominous car horns and sirens in the distance.

[caption id="attachment_358457" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO Max[/caption]

Here comes the apocalypse

Sarah goes over to the Adlers' for a bit, and then later presents Joel with his birthday present �an old watch of his that she had fixed. Joel goes to bail Tommy out of jail, and Sarah wakes up to an empty house. She goes back to the Adlers, where the previously senile, and now Infected, Mrs. Adler has killed the inhabitants of the house. Joel and Tommy show up and take Sarah in their truck, heading towards the?? military checkpoint at the highway. Joel and Sarah get separated from Tommy while running away from Infected, and when they reach the checkpoint, a soldier fires on the pair following orders from a superior. Sarah is fatally wounded, and just as Tommy shows up to save Joel, Sarah dies in his arms.

We skip ahead 20 years (which is now 2023 �the show moved the game's opening back from 2013 to 2003), and a child stumbles back into a quarantine zone. Soldiers discover he's Infected,? and euthanize him while promising he's safe now. We then get a look into the bleakness inside the quarantine zone, from burning dead bodies to dwindling food supplies to public executions. We learn that Joel is a smuggler, working as fellow smuggler Tess' muscle and right-hand man. There's a "terrorist" group that's also causing trouble around town known as the Fireflies.

[caption id="attachment_358460" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO Max[/caption]

Ellie's introduction

Meanwhile, there's a girl chained up in a building, where she is tested for signs of mental alertness and awareness. Joel speaks to the man in charge of the zone's radio, who confirms he still hasn't heard from Tommy. Joel says that his brother usually responds within a day, but it's been thre?e weeks since they last communicated. Joel mixes some pills and alcohol and goes to s?leep, and Tess joins him in bed in the middle of the night. In the morning, Joel tells Tess he needs a car battery to go and find Tommy, but Tess tells him that a man named Robert sold their battery to someone else.

Marlene, the head of the Fireflies, tells fellow Firefly Kim that they're all going to leave the quarantine zone soon to transport "that random girl locked in that room" west. Marlene goes to talk to the girl and tells her that'??s the one who put her in milit?ary school, and that the girl's real name is Ellie. We get a namedrop for Riley here �a side character who's important to Ellie, who we know will make an appearance in a future episode.

Joel and Tess go to confront Robert and come across a Clicker that's grown into the wall in the sewers (it's the first we've seen of the series' most iconic enemy, and it actually looks really good!). When they reach Robert's hideout, he's already dead due to a deal gone wrong with the Fireflies because the car batter?y is corroded. Joel and Tess encounter Marlene, Kim, and Ellie, and after a bit of back and forth, Joel and Tess agree to take Ellie to the Capital Building to meet up with the rest of the Fireflies.

The journey begins

The trio stop by Joel and Tess' hideout to plan out their trip, and Ellie figures out a code that Bill and Frank (some smugglers/suppliers outside of the city) use to share their status by playing songs from different? decades. Joel wakes up from a nap and he and Ellie have a conversation �she tells him that his watch is broken. They head outside the walls of the quarantine zone, where they encounter a soldier who scans them for Infection. When Ellie is scanned, she attacks the soldier, who shines his flashlight in Joel's face. This triggers a flashback that takes Joel back to the night that Sarah died, and he beats the soldier to death with his bare hands.

Tess looks at the scanner and learns that Ellie is Infected, but she counters by showing Tess and Joel her arm and insisting that the bite is three weeks old. We cut back to Joel and Tess' hideout, where the radio is playing an 80's song?, which indicates trouble at Bill and Frank's. The final sh??ot of Joel, Tess, and Ellie sweeps out to reveal the ruined, overgrown cityscape as lightning strikes and we hear the screams of Infected in the distance.

[caption id="attachment_358462" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO Max[/caption]

And now, some thoughts

Okay, that was a lot, and I'm still working through my thoughts about it after a second watch-through. Let's start with the stuff I liked. I thought the sets looked great, and I especially loved to see what I assume were practi?cal effects with the aforementioned Clicker that had grown into the wall. I'm excited to see some more of the Infected in action. I liked the actress who played Sarah a lot, and I liked that they added a bit more to her character that we get to see before she gets killed off. Also, huge props to the actors who played the Infected in the crowd scenes �they nailed the physicality and captured the fast, flailing movements we see fr??om the Runners in the game.

Pedro Pascal's casting as Joel was a part of the show I was really looking forward to, and so far he ?didn't disappoint. There's still a lot to see from him, but so far he's nailed the look and ??feel of Joel for me.

Then there's the stuff I feel skeptical about. It's funny, I feel like most of my critiques fall on either end of a spectrum �either it's too much like the game, or it's too different. Starting with the former, I've also seen other reviewers discussing the fact that the show takes too much from the game, and I have to agree. A ton of the dialogue, acting choices, and camera angles are ripped right from the game. Don't get me wrong, I still want it to feel like a Last of Us show, but when the original is already so cinematic, what are we gaining from doi??ng a 1:1 remake of a bunch of ??the scenes?

[caption id="attachment_358463" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO Max[/caption]

As a megafan of the series, I have most of the dialogue in the game memorized down to the vocal inflections??, and I was shocked to find the most iconic scenes from the game were basically copied and pasted down to ?the blocking and line reads. The whole point of an adaptation is to put a new spin on the source material, but to me, this first episode only muddied the waters in terms of what the story is trying to say.

This brings me to my next point: the differences. As I said, I'm totally fine with them making changes to the game's narrative �in fact, I encourage it. But for the most part, I felt like the changes they made detracted from the potency of the story. Similar to its gameplay, The Last of Us' story is tight and compact, only including what's necessary to get across its thes??is or survival and sacrifice for those you love. To me, it felt like everything in that first ga?me always pointed back to Joel and Ellie's arcs and gave us further insight into their relationship.

In the show, however, adding all these new characters and extra threads only serves to bog everything down in my mind. We've been there, done that with apocalypse fiction �what makes Joel and Ellie's relations??hip so poignant and moving is the love and hope they find in the darkest possible circumstances.

I hate to say it, but as of now, I'm also a bit skeptical of this version of Ellie. A sentiment I've heard echoed online, and even from a friend I watched this first episode with who was not familiar with the game, is that some people?? aren't tak??ing much of a liking to Ellie. I know not everyone is going to love her, but so much of Ellie's cha??racter is her sweetness which often shines through despite her snarky, sarcastic side. So far she's been mostly abrasive, which isn't helped by the change that she's not with Marlene and the Fireflies of her own accord.

[caption id="attachment_358464" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via HBO Max[/caption]

Final thoughts

I'm getting ahead of myself here a bit because we've got a long way to go. There's a chance that all of my qualms will be remedied by the time the season wraps up, and I'm certainly expecting Nick Offerman as Bill to be an upcoming highlight, for sure. Overall, I didn't overly dislike Episode 1, but I also didn't love it. And I wanted,?? more than anything, to love it.

If you're interested i?n hearing more of my thoughts on the show?, make sure to check back, because I'll be doing one of these recap posts after each episode every week!

Check out the rest of Destructoid's coverage of HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us here.

[Disclosure: It's important to disclose that I worked at Naughty Dog for a period of time during the development of The Last of Us Part II. My work did not involve or touch upon any of the content that is covered in the first season of HBO's The Last of Us, but we believe it necessary and prudent to emphasize my time at the studio nonetheless. �Noelle Warner]

The post HBO’s The Last of Us Episode 1: Recap and thoughts appeared first on Destructoid.

Fork over that extra dollar

HBO has always been one of the pricier streaming services, but with shows like Succession, White Lotus, and the show that arguably kicked off the current golden era of television, The Sopranos, you're ??basically always guaranteed to get a good bang for your buck. We'll have to see if that ho?lds true after yet another price increase, because the cost of HBO Max has risen yet again.

The change went into effect today, January 12, m??aking the service's former $14.99/month price for the ad-free tier has increased $1 to $15.99. It's the first price hike since the launch of HBO Max back in March of 2020.

//twitter.com/hbomax/status/1613672303090335746

While it's impossible to know for sure why the company decided to raise the price, there's a chance that they're simply keeping up with the rising costs of inflation, especially after their competitors like Netflix have done the same. Of course, it does seem a bit convenient that this change is happening only days before the premiere of The Last of Us TV adaptation on HBO Max, which will likely be one of the biggest streaming events of ??the year.

The show has been receiving rave reviews from critics, and as a fan of the series myself, I'll ?be interested to see how they translate such ??a beloved game to a live action television format. Here's hoping the price increase is worth it.

The post HBO Max price increases ahe?ad of The Last of Us premier??e appeared first on Destructoid.

It's not tv, it's not video games, it's HBO

Arguably one of the most anticipated new shows of 2023 is the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us, the hit PlayStation game that spawned a million bad takes about storytelling. We've been talking about this show for quite some time and now we're just weeks away from its debut. After a couple of short video teases and character posters, the producers of the sure-to-be-viral show finally?? dropped the debut trailer. And hey, what do you kno??w? It looks like another high-quality production from HBO.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLtkt8BonwM

Music choice aside, I think that's a pretty dope trailer and certainly has my hopes up that this will be better than that lousy House of the Dragon show. Of course, with the production team working on The Last of Us, I have some pretty high expectations. Chernobyl is one of the most unsettling shows I've ever seen and considering this IP is Neil Druckmann's baby, I highly doubt he'd want anything reaching the airwaves that doesn't live ??up to its legacy. Add in a stellar cast and some great visuals, and this show is giving me a reason to restart my HBO Max subscription even if the guy running things over at Warner Bros. Discovery is a r??eal piece of work.

The Last of Us will debut on January 15 on HBO and HBO Max. That'?s plenty of time to beat the game if you're someone like more who got bored of the whole thing halfway through and hasn't picked it up since.

The post The Last of Us Season 1 trailer is here appeared first on Destructoid.

The gang's all here

The January 2023 release date of HBO's highly anticipated The Last of Us series is quickly approaching, which means we're getting more glimpses of the show ahead of its debut than ever before. The most recent unveiling was a series of posters featuring the series' most prominent side characters, which HBO posted as a thread to the official HBO Last of Us Twitter account. There are five in total, featuring Bill (Nick Offerman), Frank (Murray Bartlett), Sarah (Nico Parker?), Riley (Storm Reid), and?? Henry (Lamar Johnson).

This new series of posters follow those featuring the series' main cast, including Joel (Pedro Pascal), E?llie (Bella Ramsey), Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Tess (Anna Torv), and Marlene (Merle Dandridge). Each character also has a specific role assigned to them along with their poster, like Joel being labeled "the protector," Tess being "the smuggler," or Bill being "the survivalist," just to name a few.

//twitter.com/TheLastofUsHBO/status/1598000409209360387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7C?twcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1598000409209360387%7Ctwgr%5E0409284ce?87634b900421f5f4c7bedb2b00e9b52%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamespot.com%2Farticles%2Fhbos-the-last-of-us-reveals-new-character-posters%2F1100-6509580%2F

//twitter.com/TheLastofUsHBO/status/1597999401418440705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1597999401418440705%??7Ctwgr%5E0409284ce87634b900421f5f4c7bedb2b00e9b52%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamespot.com%2Farticles%2Fhbos-the-last-of-us-reveals-new-character-posters%2F1100-6509580%2F

//twitter.com/TheLastofUsHBO/status/1597998897179172864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1597998897179172864%7Ctwgr%5E0409284ce87634b900421f5f4c7bedb2b00e9b52%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamespot.com%2Farticles%2Fhbos-the-last-of-us-reveals-new-character-posters%2F1?100-6509580%2F

Adding these descriptors to the Last of Us posters is actually a pretty smart move if you ask me �giving each character an archetype might give viewers who are new to the series something to latch onto. The game does have a pretty large cast of characters, all things considered. It's hard for players to forget any of them after beating the game, but hopefully these minimal introductions can at least help Last of Us ?virgins know what to expect going in while also giving long-time fans a look at how the characters will translate to the silver screen.

//twitter.com/TheLastofUsHBO/status/1598000979768913920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1598000979768913920%7Ctwgr??%5E0409284ce87634b900421f5f4c7bedb2b00e9b52%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamesp?ot.com%2Farticles%2Fhbos-the-last-of-us-reveals-new-character-posters%2F1100-6509580%2F

//twitter.com/TheLastofUsHBO/status/1598001423165566977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1598001423165566977%7Ctwgr%5E0409284ce87634b900421f5f4c7bedb2b00e9b52%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamespot.com%2Farticles%2Fhbos-the-last-of-us-reveals-new-character-posters%2F1100-6509580?%2F

One other thing that intrigues me about these Last of Us posters are that they feature characters we don't actually meet in the main game, particularly Riley and Frank. I'm glad to see that the show will be pulling from the Left Behind DLC, because it explores a whole other side of Ellie's character ?that we do?n't usually get to see. Including Frank is also an interesting development, because it means we'll likely get to see him interacting with Bill for the first time �although mentioned, we never actually got to see Frank in the game.

The post The Last of Us HBO series shows off a new series of character?? posters appeared first on Destructoid.

DC Extended Universe to cover all mediums

James Gunn, director of big-screen comic-book epics such as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, has suggested that upcoming video games set within th??e DC Comics univer??se are to be included in the overall lore of the DC Universe at large.

Gunn, who was recently assigned the role of co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, made the comments in a recent Twitter exchange, confirming plans to have DC Studios' future projects?? �be they cinematic, animated, televisual, or in the medium of gaming �essentially inhabit the same universe. This broadens the scope for character arcs far beyond that of almost any "cinematic universe" ??to date.

While the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, it's difficult not to see the potential for chaos in these plans. The idea that, for example, Rocksteady's oft-delayed title Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League might lay arcs for characters in upcoming films, or TV shows, (or vice versa). Gunn's comments also come after the initial efforts for a fully connected DC extended universe have essentially resulted in a plethora of mediocre to terrible movies �with the better efforts, such as Matt Reeves' The Batman, being distinctly disconnected from DC C??omics cinematic canon at large.

DC Comics has struggled in its efforts to present a coherent and reliable connected universe when it was only focused on one arcing medium, (cinema), the idea of trying to build a similar project via multiple mediums seems to be ?something of a herculean task. Still, the new co-CEO clearly sees potential in the concept, so we'll just have to wait and see what the future brings for Batman, Joker, Aquaman, and Wonder ?Woman.

But not Batgirl. Apparently.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League launches in 2023 on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X.

The post James Gunn: DC Comics video games to become part of DC extended un??iverse appeared first on Destructoid.

Y'all here for Prehistory Rogue?

Netflix has released a fun new trailer for its upcoming animated series Sonic Prime �And ?this particular preview has more than a hint of Multiverse Madness about it, as The Blue Blur finds himself hopping through time and?? space to confront wild variants of his friends, enemies, and worlds.

Over the course of the two-minute preview Sonic blasts through past and future universes, each filled with its own unique hazards and dangers. But the real meat of the clip comes from the cool array of alternate pals that appear in the mix, from cybernetic versions of Tails and Amy Rose, to special forces variants of ?Knuckles and Rogue, and no less than five different Dr. Robotniks. My favorite is Prehistory Rogue, who confronts our hero accompanied by your favorite, Big the Cat.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rShZls4Ffw

Produced by Canadian Studio WildBrain (Carmen Sandiego, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) and American producer Man of Action (Ultimate Spider-Man, Mega Man: Fully Charged), Sonic Prime promises 24 episodes of Gotta Go Fast action, featuring all of the characters both recognizable, (and, apparently, unrecognizable), from Sega's smash-hit video game franchise. Our lad Sonic has frequently proved himself a snug fit for animated?? antics, and hopefully, this new show will be no different.

Sonic Prime premieres exclusively on Netflix on December 15. Back in the digital world, Sonic Frontiers is availabl?e now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

The post New Sonic Prime tr?ailer takes a trip through time and space appeared first on Destructoid.

RED Christmas

Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for its upcoming series The Witcher: Blood Origin �The series, which will debut on the streamin??g service from December 25, will serve as a prequel to its smash-hit show, which is itself upon the books by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

The Witcher: Blood Origin is set around 1200 years before the arrival of legendary figures su?ch as Ciri, Yennefer, and, of course, Geralt of Rivia himself, and ??will tell the story of the fabled "Conjunction of the Spheres", the moment when the worlds of man, elf, and monster first collided, leading to a bold and dangerous new era for man and beast alike. The series will depict the coming of the event, alongside the necessary founding of a legion of beast slayers known as "Witchers".

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry6HYg3AsHA

The new, four-part series will be headed up by the legendary Michelle Yeoh (Shang-Chi, Everything Everywhere All at Once) as the formidable sword-elf Scian. Yeoh will be joined by Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boelyn, True Blood) as the highly-skilled Queen's guard officer Éile, and Laurence O'Fuarain (Game of Thrones, Vikings) as the redemption-seeki??ng warrior Fjall. The cast is rounded out by Mi?rren Mack, Zach Wyatt, and Jacob-Collins Levy.

The Witcher: Blood Origin will offer up an original story, set within the same universe as the games and original novels but telling a tale of new characters and events. The show will precede the arrival of the fourth season of The Witcher, which will see Liam Hemsworth take up the dual swords of Geralt of Rivia, donning the wel??l-worn scabbard of departing actor Henry Cavill.

The Witcher: Blood Origin premieres December 25 exclusively on Netflix.

The post Check out the trailer for Netflix prequel The Witche?r: ??Blood Origin appeared first on Destructoid.

But where's my girl, Peri?

Legendary British sci-fi show Doctor Who is the latest franchise to get its bean on in the madcap world of Mediatonic's Fall Guys �The topsy-turvy battle royale title currently has a new range of cosmetic items up for grabs, a??ll pulled from the time lord's great canon of chrono-crossing adventures.

Three of the fourteen Doctors are represented in this new event, immediately recognizable thanks to the quirky hero's penchant for fabulous fashions. We have the wild scarf and Autumnal style of the iconic Fourth Doctor, as portrayed by Tom Baker in the 1970s. Also available is the most recent incarnation of the character, the Thirteent??h Doctor, played in groundbreaking fashion by Jodie Whittaker since 2018.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xdRbMhduVE

The Fourteenth Doctor, who one might confuse for the Tenth Doctor, is available to purchase as a brand new skin for your been, celebrating the momentary return of fan-favorite actor David Tennant. And, of course, what would Doctor Who be without his arch-enemy, The Daleks? And thus, a Dalek costume is also available from the marketplace �Although, given that they can't even get upstairs, Fall Guys hardly seems to be ?the perfect place for the ruthless, droning robots.

All four skins are available to purchase now in the Fall Guys store. In addition, a brand new emote will play the famous TARDIS sound effect upon activation. Sorry, it won't automatically regener?ate you beside the crown. You still gotta do all of th??e hard work yourself. Better bring your sonic screwdriver.

Fall Guys is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platfor??ms.

The post Doctor Who cosmetics are now availab??le?? in Fall Guys appeared first on Destructoid.

It'll still hit that holiday timeline

Remember that Sonic Prime Netflix TV show project? Well, it's right around the corner, as we finally have the release date thanks to an IGN?? announcement. It'll debut on December 15, 2022, which lines up with a prior report fro?m a producer for the game series, who likely let the release window slip.

Further tweets showed off character posters for the Sonic Prime Netflix show, which include:

• Sonic
• Tails
• Knuckles
• Amy
• Eggman
• Big the Cat (and Froggy)
• Shadow
• Rouge

As someone on Twitter pointed out, the Sonic/main poster actually showcases a weird take on Amy: a potential multiversal roboticized version (??just take a look at the crystal shard on?? Sonic's head). It's been a lonely time on the Sonic TV front, as the mostly well-received and canceled-too-soon-after-it-found-its-footing Sonic Boom has been gone for years now. Hopefully Prime ?will not only deliv??er, but keep going for more than a season.

Through good and bad adaptations, it's weird to me whenever there isn't a Sonic TV show of some sort around. As ??with anything with this series, in any medium, it really could go either way. I dig these character posters, but so far the footage hasn't really convinced me.

The post Sonic Prime will hit Netflix on December 15 appeared first on Destructoid.

The Fallout TV series is well into production

Fallout has been one of the most iconic series in all of gaming for decades now, so it was only a matter of time before it got a proper game-to-television adaptation. We got the news that Amazon would be helming the project all the way back in July of 2020, and it's being developed by Westworld creator Lisa Joy and writer?-director Jonathan Nolan (also known as the brother of famed director Christopher Nolan). It's been radio silence on the series for quite a while, which is why it's so exciting to get a first look at the series today on Twitter.

Today actually happens to be the 25th anniversary of the series as well, so in honor of Fallout's birthday, Amazon Prime posted a tweet featuring a screenshot from the show. The image features two figures looking on as another figure is silhouetted in an open vault, and while the screenshot doesn't give us any kind of context at all, I have to admit it looks damn good. We can see the vault-dwellers came from Vault 33 given their jumpsuits, so there's that. We also know that actor Walton Goggins will be portraying a character "based on the ghouls from the games," but that's about it.

//twitter.com/PrimeVideo/status/1584953052401848321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwca??mp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1584953052401848321%7Ctwgr%5Ef7e6938aadcd6076032cf8f8d412479b7ab30413%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ign.com%2Farticles%2Fheres-the-first-look-at-amazons-fallout-series

Fallout has always had a distinct, compelling style with the blue-and-yellow-tinged 1950's retrofuturistic aesthetic, which I think will make for some pretty striking visuals in a live action TV show. In all honesty, I haven't much been able to take the Fallout series very seriously outside New Vegas (my affinity for Monster Factory is probably responsible for that, now that I think about it), but?? this show might be the thing to change my mind.

As you might expect, Amazon is playing their cards pretty close to their chest with this one, but I k??now I'll be looking forward to seeing more details about how they bring Bethesda's beloved IP to life.

The post Check out the first screenshot of Amazon’s Fallout TV series appeared first on Destructoid.

Walter and Jesse never looked so... pixelated

Breaking Bad is one of those shows that's so good, it remains relevant almost a decade after it goes off the air. As its legacy lives on, I have to wonder if it'll ever get a true video game adaptation, maybe as a GTA-style open world, or a Telltale-style narrative adventure. There's a lot of potential there, but for now, we can continue to imagine the possibilities to tide us over. That's exactly what this fan did when they envisioned what Breaking Bad might look like if it were ????made to be a game for the PS1.

The video was created by YouTube user PotBoiler, and features over a minute of "gameplay" from the hypothetical PS1 title. The "game" ope??ns with Walter White's classic pre-cancer chemistry lecture from the pilot. The player then takes control of Jesse, who is tasked with killing Gale before a timer runs out. As he drives through the streets,? he hits another car, which gets the cops on his tail. No need to worry, though, because Jesse can just stop by Saul's place to get rid of the fuzz. Unfortunately he fails the mission, so I guess Heisenberg is dead in this alternate timeline.

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

I wish we had more info about how PotBoiler actually made this mockup, but they did disclose in the description of the YouTube video that it was specifically inspired by GTA, so it seems we agree on what type of game would be best suited for a Breaking Bad adaptation (something the show's creator wanted as well). As per usual, I am constantly impressed by the type of fan art fans can come up with, and while this particular version looks (purposefully) janky a?s hell, I'd love to play a more modern version.

Check out some other PS1 "demakes," including Horizon Zero Dawn and Bloodborne.

The post Someone turned Breaking Bad into a PS1 game appeared first on Destructoid.

The mouse is in your house

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Disney have announced that the shiny PS5 platform now has its own native Disney+ app available for download. This will allow users on th??e platform to access the Disney streaming service on their console in magnificent 4K HDR resolutions.

"A key part of our global expansion strategy is to meet consumers wherever they are, which is why we're excited to enhance both Disney Plus and Star Plus for PlayStation 5 users," notes EVP of product and design for Disney, Jerrell Jimerson in comments to The Verge. "T??he ability to support 4K HDR video streaming on the platform will also improve the viewing experience for f?ans."

With the arrival of the Disney+ app, subscribers will now have access to an enormous archive of film, TV, and animated content from The House of Mouse. This includes films and shows from the Marvel Cinematic Universe �such as recent Chud-aggravator She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, as well as thousands of hours of classic FOX programming such as the good episodes of The Simpsons and nothing else. Of course, you can also check out? Disney's legendary catalog of classic animated movies, all starri??????????????????????????ng wicked queens that I fancy.

Now that the PlayStation 5 platform offers access to Disney+, Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, HBO Max, as well as an abundance of rad video games via the PlayStation Plus service, you basically don't have to leave the couch ever again. Better get started this weekend, however, I'm pretty sure none of us have the time necessary to watch every single episode of every single Star Wars show before we shuffle on.

And I still gotta find space and time for the celluloid excellence that is Hocus Pocus 2.

The post Oh Boy! PS5 now has a 4K HD??R supporting Disney+ app appeared first on Destructoid.

We got roughly 20 seconds of footage from an HBO Max sizzle reel

As HBO/WB/Cartoon Network continue to wade through the turmoil of the recent Discovery takeover, some shows do have full confirmations (or re-confirmations) for new seasons in 2023. We also finally got a real look at The Last of Us TV show, which is still due in "early 2023."

The clip opens up with Joel (Pedro Pas?cal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) walking up to a snow-filled bridge while ominous music plays. From there, we're greeted with an array of footage from the project, inclu??ding plenty of footage of Pascal and Ramsey's performances, complete with voice-over. We even get to see a quick clip of Nick Offerman as Bill, and a tease of the disease that's running rampant through this universe.

It's a promising short look at the series, which will feature episodes written by Neil Druckmann, who is ostensibly the "showrunner" of the game series. His involvement has helped ease concerns about the inherent danger of game adaptations. Pascal has also mentioned in the past that he aims to give his own spin on Joel, and the footage thus far hints that we could see the series move in a diffe?rent direction. So long as everything holds up, it'll be fantastic if the TV show is a companion piece of sorts rather than a carbon copy.

The Last of Us bit starts at roughly 1:40 in, and you can watch it below.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWsY3DlLdIA

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GTA and Breaking Bad would be a match made in heaven

Breaking Bad is widely regarded as one of the best TV series of all time, and frankly, its subject matter would make for a great game. The show's creator Vince Gilligan thought so too, because he at one point pitched a GTA-like adaptation of the iconic series. Originally reported by ComicBook, Gilligan expressed the interest he had in turning Breaking Bad into a game on a recent episode of?? his podcast "Inside The Gilliverse," ?where he was accompanied by Eric Broadbent and Peter Gould.

Gilligan said that he's "not much of a video game player," but that he wanted to reach out to the studio that owns Grand Theft Auto and see if they could make "like a module" inspired by his series. Even for someone who doesn't know games all that well, he might be onto something with a Breaking Bad x GTA DLC.

"There have been quite a few attempts at video games," Gilligan continued. "Some of them kinda sort of made it to market. We tried to do a VR experience with the Sony PlayStation VR headset. We did a mobile game that lasted for a little while." He's referring to a narrative base-builder game that was released back in 2020 called Breaking Bad: Criminal Elements, but it didn't last longer than a year.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVpGPX_Lj64&t=3069s

Gilligan also shared the sentiment that the team behind Breaking Bad didn't want to create a bad game that only drew players because of its association with the show, specifically referencing the colossal failure of the 1982 E.T. ??g?ame for the Atari as something they wanted to avoid replicating.

I honestly find it impressive that conversations are still swirling about adapting Breaking Bad into a game �it speaks to ??the legacy the show has built nearly a decade after it went off the air.

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Here's where to watch them

In case you missed it, The Pokemon Company has been producing a series of Poketoons: cartoons that are generally centered around a specific creature per episode, and showcase side stories not related to the "trainer" or mainline mythos. They've been available in Japan for some time now, gradually rolling out since 2020, but now they're coming westward.

So this western rollout is a two-tiered rele??ase system: here's how it'll s??hake out!

You can watch the first western release Poketoon now on Pokemon TV

The first Poketoon is live now on Pokemon TV, and each week, we'll get one more (for eight weeks, until the entire season is complete). As a reminder, Pokemon TV can be accessed via a browser, as well as through a mobile or Switch app.

You may recall that the first episode, "Chase the Beans," came out in 2020. This is referred to as "Scraggy and Mimikyu" for the official western release. If the calendar is the same as the Japanese rollout, we'll?? get the more emotional Pancham episode next.

They'll also come to YouTube in the west later this year

Expect this Pokemon TV exclusivity to last a while. This is what The Pokemon Company had to say about Poketoons rolling out to platf??orms other than Pokemon TV :

"The series will appear on the offi?cial Pokémon YouTube? Channel later this fall."

Or, you can watch them now in Japanese on YouTube

Or, if you're OK with Japanese-langu?age episodes, you can?? just watch them all right now, unfettered, via YouTube.

The link ??to the entire ?playlist of all eight episodes is here. Note that the first episode, Chase and Beans, has no real spoken dialogue; so it's universal in any language.

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Horizon coming to Netflix is next up in the long line of game adaptations

The video game adaptations to TV and film just don't stop coming, because Sony announced today that they're working in conjunction with Netflix to develop a Horizon Zero Dawn series. The news dropped today following Sony's 2022 business presentation to investors, and was initially reported by David Gibson, a notable video game analyst. While Sony didn't mention Horizon in the presentation documents,? the slides did also mention several other projects that they have in the? works.

According to the presentation, Sony also has a God of War series in development with Amazon Prime, as well as a Gran Turismo pitch that they are currently working on developing. When you consider the Ghost of Tsushima movie that has already been announced, the Twisted Metal series that reportedly has an all-star cast attached, and the Last of Us show that is filming right now for HBO, Sony is poised to take over streaming platforms with the??ir gaming properties.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO and chairman Tony Vinciquerra said that in addition to these projects, they also have "10 more PlayS??tation titles in various stages of development for film and TV." 10 more? Seriously? I don't know guys, maybe let's start with what we have before we go all-in on this one.

I can't hel?p but think Sony is biting off a bit more than they can? chew here.

Horizon Zero Dawn is a decent choice for a Netflix series considering it's one of the more cinematic games in Sony's lineup, but that has never been a guarantee before. The recent Uncharted movie was a moderate success at t?he box office, but other than that, video game adaptations have yet to prove themselves in the mainstream.

Unless the creatives behind these projects really start n?ailing down the magic of what a good game-to-TV/film adaptation looks like, Sony could be looking at a whole lineup of series and f??ilms that are just okay at best.

I have faith that they'?ll get it together eventually, but until they prove me wrong, I think I'll just stick to playing their games instead of watching them.

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It's still "an adventure animation series primarily aimed at 8-13-year-old kids and family audiences"

Roughly a year ago, it was announced that French animation studio Cyber Group Studios was deep into a Final Fantasy IX animated TV series. Now, according to Animation Magazine, it'll be debuting soon, in the hopes to be ??sold?? to a distributor.

Cyber Group will be attending the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas from May 24-26, in a bid to sell the show. It's here that we'll likely see the first screens or maybe even a trailer, as well as info on some of the characters (and potential newcomers). In 2021, the company noted that "for those who [don’t] know Final Fantasy IX, this will be an [introduction]...and for the many who [do], this will immerse ??them in a universe they’ll love."

At the moment, details are slim. The McFire Family, Gigantosaurus, and PressStart projects were all shown off: but we're waiting to see Final Fantasy IX at a later date. If you want to stew over what it could look like and the subject matter it could entail, you can peruse Cyber Group's catalog here.

To be clear, I don't think you should expect the moon here �or an epic series with adult themes. We already know it's aimed at kids, but their entire catalog is predicated on family viewing. As someone who does watch cartoons with their kid, I just hope it's nearly as good as Spidey and His Amazing Friends.

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