Your Starfield ship might be great, but there isn’t even the slightest possibility that it’s as great as the Planet Express Ship. We can fix that. User SP74 has shown on Reddit the process for creating the iconic electric m??ucus-colored, goldfish-shaped spacecraft.

The Planet Express Ship (sometimes known as Old Bessie) first appeared in the pilot episode of Futurama. It was designed and built by Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth as a replacement for the previous ship piloted by one of his many doomed crews.? It is often portrayed as either a technological wonderment or? a slapdash jalopy, depending on the episode.

//www.reddit.com/r/StarfieldShips/comments/16boyve/good_n??ews_everyone_planet_express_tutorial/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&a??mp;utm_content=share_button

The one created by SP74 is a pretty decent likeness. It’s sort of chunkier, less sleek, and it kind of lacks the retro sci-fi fins. I guess it’s the NASA-punk version. But you can definitely tell what it’s supposed to be, and it even includes the ??window placement. You could make some pretty wiz deliveries with that bad girl.

I’ve paid so little attention to Starfield’s build-up to launch th?at I missed the fact that you could build your own ship. I still haven’t reached the point in the game where it lets me play around with ships, but I’m pretty excited to have the opportunity. I’m sure I’ll make a few butt-ugly configurations before finally saying screw it and just building the Planet Express Ship, even if it ??has a mobility rating of zero. So, thanks SP74, this looks great.

Just a heads up, though, it might be hard to build with an un-modded ?parts merchant. "It will probably be a huge pain in the ass to try and build this in vanilla� says SP74.

Starfield is available right now for Xbox and PC platforms. There’s a good chance that you’re already playing it,?? considerin??g it seems like half the world is currently enraptured.

The post A Starfield player shows you the different lengths of wire they used to make Futurama’s Planet Express Ship appeared first on Destructoid.

Let 'em fly

In what is arguably the most important discovery of the recent Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom overview, we learned that Link now has the power to fuse items together. This Dead Rising-esque mechanic seems fairly fluid and extends to multiple objects: not just weaponry. Of course, you can?? use it to forge?? new weapons and ammo...like the meat arrow.

Folks have been talking about raw meat arrows ever since the aforementioned walkthrough hovered over them ever so slightly, and the community has now made that a reality in Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Popular Zelda modder Waikuteru?? just put out a new video detailing their meat arrow mod, which...adds meat arrows into the game.

Although you can get the gist in the first few minutes of the video below, Waikuteru walks us through all of the possibilities these new toys can bring to the ta?ble.

I'd welcome adding some of Tears of the Kingdom's mechanics back into Breath of the Wild

Adding a rudimentary fusion element into Breath of the Wild seems simple enough: and even if it doesn't have the same fully-featured functionality as Tears of the Kingdom, you're still flinging a meat arrow at an enemy at the end of the day. And based on this mod, th?ey actually seem pretty viable. Plus, ammo is easier to find than ever!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kygxN1qpqio

The post ??Meat arrows are now a reality in Zelda: Breath of the Wild thanks to a? mod appeared first on Destructoid.

Time to paint some happy little trees

I love Bob Ross. I mean, everybody loves Bob Ross, but I like to consider myself something of a superfan �I've seen every episode of The Joy of Painting, many of them multiple times, I have a collection of Bob Ross memorabilia (including a figurine that is currently on my desk), and I even dressed up as him to attend one of my sorority events when I was in college, including a curly-haired wig and fake beard. Bob Ross is a national treasure who embodies the kind of gentle, loving demeanor toward others and ourselves that I'm constantly striving to display on a deeper level, and now, I can do so in Morrowind of all places, thanks to this new mod inspired by The Joy of Painting.

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

Created by modder Merlord, the aptly named Joy Of Painting mod is available for download on GitHub. You will need to have the Ashfall mod installed first, though, which allows you to craft the ever-crucial easel and canvas. Once that's done, all you need to do is place the easel down wherever yo??u please (within reason), add a canvas, and then select which painting style you want to go with �the options include oil, watercolor, charcoal, and ink.  Unfortunately, the mod doesn't let you freehand your painting or drawing, as you'll only be able to select the subject of your painting based on who/what is in front of you. There are a few settings you can tweak?, however, like brightness, contrast, and saturation.

It's nice that players can take a break from beatin' the devil out of their enemies and take some relaxing time to paint. I honestly couldn't tell you what Bob Ross would think of video games, but I'd like to think he'd enjoy hearing that his legacy is living on even through interactive media. Here's hoping that mods based on The Joy of Painting will become a regular thing, beca?use I could use an ode to my favorite wholesome p??ainter in every game I play for the rest of my life.

The post Create some? happy accidents with thi??s Bob Ross-inspired Morrowind mod appeared first on Destructoid.

Let's roll

Katamari Damacy is one of those games that you don't hear about a lot these days, and yet somehow everyone seems to have played it at some point in their lives. The premise is simple, but it's so engaging that it'll keep us coming back for more every time. Just when I thought it was impossible to improve on the tried-and-true Katamari formula, a m??odder ca?me along and proved me wrong in the best way.

Originally spotted by Time Extension, computer scientist and custom controller enthusiast Dr. Tom Tilley created a "super cheap" controller setup to roll his way through the game using some empty roll-on deodorant packaging, some cardboard, a computer mouse, and a soccer ball, or football for the non-Americans. Tilley rigged the setup work with an emulated PS2 version of Katamari Damacy, and the video? he posted on YouTube makes me wish I had a version of it myself.

//youtu.be/PHPJ2wTBJlo

A roller-ball is the way to go with this game, which is evidenced by the fact that Tilley wasn't the first one to build a similar prototype -- back in 2014, a YouTuber by the name of Siage uploaded a video of another prototype for a custom Katamari controller. I think this one might actually be my? favorite seeing as it swaps out the soccer ball for one plastered with the faces of Di?sney princesses.

I can't see a future where mass production for such controllers would make any sense, but I'd love to see some full-scale implementations in the form of some Katamari Damacy arcade machines. I want 2023 to be the year that we bring both arcades and Katamari back int?o the limelight of public consciousness, and then combine them together to achieve my new l?ife's goal -- playing this game with a roller-ball controller.

The post This custom Katam??ar??i controller is the only way I want to play the game from now on appeared first on Destructoid.

The OG Zelda game like we've never seen it before

Of all the games to be modded into VR, the original Legend of Zelda game was near the bottom of my list in terms of expectations. Usually when a game goes VR, it's already got a 3D art style, but I have to admit adding a whole new dimension to a title, especially such a classic one, is a really intriguing idea. Now we get a chance to see what that experience is like, because Japanese modder and retro gaming enthusiast Sugar Noe posted a video of themselves playing The Legend of Zelda to both Twitter and YouTube, as originally reported by Nintendo Life.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vNA8-UE780

In 2021, a user named DeTwelve created a mod called The Legend of Doom, which faithfully recreates The Legend of Zelda in the engine of the original Doom. Then Sugar Noe took that mod and made their own tweaks so that it would be playable on a Quest VR headset. This thing has layers, but the final result has to make for one of the most immersive Zelda experiences ever.

I played through The Legend of Zelda with a friend a few years ago on his SNES Classic, but admittedly I wasn't too intrigued considering how much the game showed its age, if you can pardon my blasphemy. We never finished it, but I will say that the added twist of playing it in VR might just be the push I need to get the very first Zelda game under my belt once and for all.

The post The Legend of Zelda in VR might be the push I n?eed to finish the original game appeared first on Destructoid.

Even his smack talk is surprisingly wholesome

I'm not usually one to watch streamers or YouTubers play the games I like, but every once in a while, someone will come along with a gimmick that re-contextualizes my love of various titles. Speedrunners will often grab my attention with their insanely in-depth knowledge of their favorite game, and I was a big fan earlier this year of a Twitch Streamer called DeanoBeano who got some amazing snipes in Call of Duty: Warzone using a recorder as a controller.

My new favorite creator is also a purveyor of some sweet Warzone content -- his name is @slaterkodish on all his various socials, and while he streams every day, my absolute favorite are his TikToks. His specialty is using a voice changer to sound like a child (who is precisely ten and a half years old, he tells his teammates), and it is the absolute funniest gaming ??content I've seen in a good while. Every video has me in stitches as he starts talking and annoys his teammates with his voice, only to win them over with his hilarious quips and commentary.

//www.tiktok.com/@slaterkodish/vide??o/7177097499075792174?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&?amp;web_id=7130780580963157550

He's got all the sass of a classic, smack-talking CoD player, but Slater always makes sure his alter ego is polite and kind to his teammates, making for some of the most wholesome encounters to l??ikely ever come out of the game. He's often telling his team that "teamwork makes the dream work," and that he "loves them like a brother," and hearing the other players echo the sentiments back just melts my heart every time.

//www.tiktok.com/@slaterkodish/video/7171900583442500907?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&;??web_id=71307805809631575?50

He's not always 100% safe for work, but Slater's depiction of a sixth grader is always accurate to a tee. It certainly helps that he uses one of the most convincing voice changers I've ever heard in my life, and he often calls to his "mom" offscreen to ask for more Pizza Rolls or call out their win to add to the effect. I hope Slater keeps spreading the love in the CoD lobbies as much as he c?an, because w?hatever this new wholesome brand of humor is, I'm obsessed with it.

[Featured Image via Activision]

The post Warzone player us??es a voice changer to sound like a kid, hilarity ensues appeared first on Destructoid.

Two of the year's best titles collide

Themed Minecraft skin packs, Snoop Dog in Call of Duty, the entirety of the Kingdom Hearts franchise -- there have been some pretty awesome video game crossovers over the years. One collaboration I did not expect to see, however, was a combination of two of 2022's biggest releases: Elden Ring and Pokémon Scarlet. As seen in a video posted by user Arestame on Twitter, this mod allows players to ride the legendary Pokémon Koraidon around as a mount, dress themselves and enemy characters in P??????????????????????????okémon trainer outfits, and even reskin the game's most feroc??ious monsters as giant versions of beloved pocket monsters.

This is one of the coolest mods I've seen in a while, partially because modifying games like this feels like a modern form of magic to me. Then there's the fact that a big thing that keeps me away from FromSoft games is how bleak and depressing they all lo?ok. Now that there's a possibility of throwing some cute Pokémon in the mix, I might have to reconsider.

/??/twitter.com/Arestame_Arkeid/sta?tus/1608139878436605952?s=20

Nintendo is pretty notorious for cracking down on stuff like this, but from what I can tell it's only a player's personal mod, not a product they're tryin??g to sell. There's always the change they could still get hit with that cease and desist, but for now we can certainly en?joy this mod while the footage is still around.

Arestame didn't provide any follow up details on how they made this mod, or even if it will be available for players to download at any point. A littl?e scroll through the replies?? let me know that players are not convinced we'll be able to get our hands on the mod any time soon before Nintendo takes it down, so it's really anybody's guess. If nothing else, it was really cool to get to see it, at least, and I am yet again blown away at the skill and creativity of the modding community.

[Featured Image via Arestame on Twitter]

The post This Elden Ring x Pokemon Scarlet mod is the crossover we didn’t know we needed appeared first on Destructoid.

No literally, it was made in Unreal

Chris Pratt's casting of the voice of Mario in Illumination's upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie has been one of the most talked about events of the year in the gaming sphere. Most fans (like me) have been pretty skeptical that he'll be able to pull off a fitting tribute to our favorite plumber, and every time a new trailer drops, we scrutinize and discuss, scrutinize and discuss. While I'm still excited for the movie as a whole, I'll admit that seeing an amazing fan project has reignited my enthusiasm a bit. Enter a meticulously made re?alistic version of Super Mario Bros. wi??th a realistic art style, featuring a lifelike character model of the one and only Chris Pratt.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNTCsFewP2I

The creator, known as Re-Imagined Games on YouTube, released a trailer for the project a few months ago, but it's been gaining more traction online recently. It looks like a fully-playable, hyp??er-realistic version of some of the most iconic Mario levels �my personal favorite feature is the fully controllable camera to give players a new perspective on the side-scroller. I'm also really impressed at how good the model of Pratt looks, because trying to recreate famous faces 1:1 in games is usually a one-way ticket to Jankville, USA. The fact that a fan did this all on their own without the help of a huge team or budget makes it an even greater feat in my eyes. It's amazing how far someone will take something simply because they love a game or franchise.

The fan behind this project isn't stopping there, either �other videos show off Jack Black as Bowser and Charlie Day as Luigi, and there are also plans to include Anya Taylor Joy as Princess? Peach and Keenan Michael-Key as Toad. In the description of the trailer, the creator also says? that they had no prior experience with game development or Unreal, having learned it all along the way "in an effort to make this a legitimately great action game." Hats off to you, Re-Imagined Games.

The post This fan r??emake of Super Mario Bros. featuring Chris Pratt is unrea??l appeared first on Destructoid.

Cha cha real smooth

Ah, the "Cha Cha Slide." A simple, groovy party song that somehow wormed its way into every elementary school gym class in America. There's truly nothing better than a choreographed song that just yells out the moves to you, because even someone with two left feet can make that work. The song is truly a staple of organized events, but thanks to a Call of Duty streamer with a sense of humor, the "Cha Cha Slide" has made its way into Warzone 2.0 in the most wholesome, hilarious way.

I had almost completely forgotten the "Cha Cha Slide" even existed until I saw a video of @JhbTeam playing the song over his microphone in the Warzone proximity chat. As any reasonable person would do, a crowd of enemy players formed in front of him to participate in the greatest line dance known to man. It's surprising how well the "Cha Cha Slide" translates to Call of Duty, although I am a bit disappointed no one actually slid when the ??son?g instructs them to slide.

//twitter.com/JhbTeam/status/1594785851242090496

According to JhbTeam, it took them a bunch of tries to get enemy players to stop shooting long enough to get in on the joke. I can absolutely say that whether or not someone is willing to do the "Cha Cha Slide" in Warzone is a litmus test ??for whether or not they would be my friend. All of these players passed the vibe check. You can even see that JhbTeam is receiving friend requests from the other players while conducting the group in the classic dance, so here's hoping that this will be the start of some beautiful friendships.

As much as I love CoD??, I sometimes find that the series, and some of the people who play it, take themselves a bit too seriously sometimes. Seeing something lik??e this is a great reminder that we're all out here to have fun, and getting a win is often less important than getting into the spirit of the game and sharing in a cool moment with others.

The post This Warzone player used proximity chat to do the “Cha Cha Slide” appeared first on Destructoid.

It takes place in a haunted version of the Korok Forest

Famous modder Waikuteru is at it again, this time with a Zelda: Breath of the Wild Halloween "DLC" mod that injects ?some spookiness into the mix, and adds a new questline and major enemy.

It all starts with a quest called "The Halloween Hunt," which is picked up in the Korok Forest. Apparently the residing Koroks are "in distress," and it's up to you to solve the mystery of the haunted zone and square off against a new foe called the Ghost Rider. If they appear you need to outrun them, or head back to the? Korok Forest to get them off your tail. When the appear, the screen goes dark purple, and there's a sufficiently scary freak-out? sequence.

The gist is that you'll embark upon a journey to collect 30 Cursed Pumpkins, which a friendly Korok named Socki can use to make a stew to dispel the magic therein. You'll don a spo??oky outfit for the occasion (which is required to avoid the detection of the aforementioned m??onster), and the quest has a 30-minute timer on it. Once you're finished you can take out the Ghost Rider once and for all!

As usual, everyone involved (including Waikuteru and their friend Sockpoppet, who worked on custom enemies and items for the mod) is a talented bunch: the Zelda: Breath of the Wild modding community is outstand??ing in ter??ms of scope.

Footage of the fan-made Zelda: Breath of the Wild Halloween DLC mod:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGekwhf44Tc

[Thanks Rick!]

The post This Zelda: Breath of the Wild Halloween Hunt DLC mod looks offic??ial appeared first on Destructoid.

Check out these Halloween pumpkins with a nerdy twist

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

Cult of the Lamb

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

//www.reddit.??com/r/gam??ing/comments/yfezqe/worship_lamb/

Pac-Man

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

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

Resident Evil Village

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

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yfrezr/lady_dimitrescu_pumpkin_i_carved_this_yea??r/

Fallout

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

//www.reddit.com/r/??gaming/comments/y6j8wx/vault_boy_pumpkin_i_painted/

Portal

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

//www.reddit.com/r/g?aming/comments/yfzhl8/i_made_my_pumpkin_into_a_portal_turret_for/

The Legend of Zelda

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/y5xoxe/i_carved_link_i????nto_a_pumpkin/

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

Half-Life, Pac-Man, and Chess

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

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/yf9s3h/c?heck_out_my_familys_pumpkins_mine_is_the/

Minecraft and Among Us

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

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comm??ents/yb8ny8/gaming_pumpkins_carved_descanso_gardens/

Luigi's Mansion

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

//www.reddit.com/r??/gaming/comments/yfmzvn/my_jack_olantern_this_year/

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

The post Here are the best gaming-themed pumpkin carvin?gs this Halloween appeared first on Destructoid.

GinoMachino managed to do it, though

The Godskin Duo can be a huge barrier for first-time Elden Ring players, but months after launch, GinoMachino (as spotted by Gamerant) managed to beat them with their bare fists.

Described as a grueling "5.5 hour fight," they do wield a shield to parry (and use abilities), but damage is being done by way of raw punches. The fortitude required to pull off a run like this is frankly insane, as they rarely lose their cool during the run. If you want to check out the whole process, GinoMachino has a Twitch channel, and has titled the run "100 Punch Man."

The Godskin Duo are a tricky boss encounter, especially ??going in completely blind. While there are zones you can use in the arena to your advantage, and plenty of tricks/builds you can adapt to, the sheer chaos of the fight i??s tough to navigate your first time through. The gist is that both enemies are coming at you

Initially, I assumed that if you defeated both of them at the same time, the encounter would end. In my first blind pre-release review playthrough, I attempted to methodically bring both of them down to roughly 10% health, then defeat both o??f them simultaneously. Imagine my surprise when they both revived! Oops! Once I refocused and started to figure out when to take them down (and when their second phase was advantageous to trigger), everything clicked. But to be clear, I used weapons, not fists!

Elden Ring player beats Godskin Duo with their fists:

//twitter.com/GinoMachino/status/157??8171?373297754113

The post Beating Elden Ring’s Godskin Duo with just fists is as crazy as it sounds 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 we??re 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" opens 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 c?ar, 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 w??ell). 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?? as 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.

Bring back chunky Mario

I think it's pretty safe to say that Mario is one of the most instantly recognizable and beloved video game characters in history, and I think we chose well to have him represent the medium we hold so dear. There are many facts to what makes Mario so universally adored (which is in no small part thanks to the decades-spanning voice performance of Charles Martinet), but one? of them is his chunky little character design, which doe??sn't look as prominent in his upcoming movie.

Even compared to other human characters on the roster like Princess Peach, Mario's proportions are much more distinct. He's short, he's round, and his little circular torso acts as the point from which the rest of his limbs emanate. It's an iconic look, and considering we've seen it so many times over the year?s, it's easy to sense that something feels off, even if we can't pinpoint exactly what it i??s.

//www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/y1587k/mario_from_the_mario_movie_if_he_look??ed_more_like/

Thanks to some fans on the internet, now we have a side-by-side comparing the classic Mario look to the new design for the movie. The changes are subtle, but they're definitely there. It may not be as jarring as when Ugly Sonic ma??de his debut, b?ut something about Mario doesn't feel quite right to me. Of course that's in part because Chris Pratt's voice is coming out of him.

Something I noticed about the fan redesign is its focus on shapes -- a classic principle of character design. While movie Mario has more realistic proportions by animated character standards (which has actually drawn a lot of comparisons to Wreck-It Ralph's Fix-It Felix), the fan interpretation brings a lot of the roundness back into Mario's design, especially when it comes to his eyes,? hands, feet, and torso.

I wouldn??'t mind the visual changes as much if Mario's new voice was truer to the character, but the combination of the new body and voice are a bit too uncanny for my taste.

The post This Mar??io Movie fan edit is a nod to the original?? character design appeared first on Destructoid.

And it's insanely gorgeous

Every once in a while, I see something a player has created on Reddit or Twitter, and it makes me have faith in video games again. I've been feeling a bit run down after the tumultuous Overwatch 2 launch this week, but then I saw something so beautiful, it made me remember what a beautiful medium games can be: a Minecraft pl??ayer recreated the entire universe in the game. Yeah, it's just as beautiful as?? it sounds.

User u/ChrisDaCow uploaded a video of his work to the Minecraft subreddit, among other sites, earlier this week, and the post has amassed more awards than I've ever s?e??en on Reddit before. The build features a black hole, a nebula, the whole solar system, and a super cluster.

ChrisDaCow also made a whole vlog documenting to process of the build, which I find fascinating as someone who hasn't played more than a handful of hours in Minecraft. He says one of the most useful tools that made the entire build possible is the fact that you can "paint with light" in the game (something I never knew was a thing), which allowed ?him to recreate how light actually works in space.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAkb2mpybnM

He also had to scale the blocks way down to fit everything into one Minecraft world, and Chris even breaks out some math to make sure to get the scale of Saturn's rings just right. I'm seriously impressed by how much effort he put into this whole thing, and I get the feeling it's going to go down as one of the all time greatest Minecraft builds of all time.

Not gonna lie, I us??ually have a good deal of existential dread rattling around, but seeing our universe depicted so beautifully and with ??so much care helps me see things in a new light.

The post This player recreated the entire universe in Min??ecraft appeared first on Destructoid.

By far the cutest thing I've seen all week

I've always loved snakes. When I was in middle school, we had one of those Snakes Alive! organizations come and do an educational demonstration. I guess I didn't look as scared or grossed out as the other kids, because the host c??alled me up and handed me a black snake, who then found his way into the pocket of my hoodie. It was adorable.

That said, I don't think I would ever own a reptile, but I love looking at cute snake videos as much as the next person. That's why it was such a treat to log into Twitter today and see that someone had taught their pet snake how to play Pokémon Go. I didn't know you could? even train a snake to do such a thing, but ??I'm so, so glad that this person did.

//twitter.com/SnakeHour/status??/1577043448750047232

The tweet was from an account called @SnakeHour (which posts snake content on the hour every hour for all your snake content needs), but the original video is a TikTok from user @maudespaperwinggallery. It features the snake's owner holding them up in front of a phone that has Pokémon Go open, and the snake then uses their little nose to launch Poké Balls at what appears to be a Combee. What really tops off the whole thing for me is the classic Pokémon anime theme song playing over the video.

Now I want to know �does the snake have their own account? Does their owner take them outside on Pokémon-catching adventures? Which Team? did they join? Most importantly: did they ever end up catching the Combee? It's likely we won't get any more information about this scaly little guy or?? gal, as is the way of the internet, but they will forever live on in my heart.

Good luck, you sweet little Pokémon master.

The post Someone taught their snake how to play Pokémon Go appeared first on Destructoid.

Even if you don't like how it looks, the process is interesting

Fan mockups, whether they're just still art or a playable build (even for personal purposes), are fascinating. Full-on total conversions are perhaps the king of these types of projects, but even things like the below Pokemon Yellow 3D remake from YouTube channel Pokebro (spotted by Nintendo Life) are on the list too.

Starting with the challenge of "how hard can it be to make a 2D game in 3D in two weeks," ??Pokebro managed to scrap this thing together in time. The first thing they did i?s import existing models for the main trainer (Red) and Pikachu: with the caveat that the latter's model needed to be spruced up a bit (there was a big hole in its head that was covered by a dome).

From there, they had to program the Pikachu model to follow the trainer around, with an auto-battle system in place. Next comes recreating a select few environments (they reproduced up the first gym battle with Brock), and creating a spherical AI system of sorts that checks to see if there ??are Pokemon in Pikachu's radius that it can battle.

The rest of the Pokemon were created by Pokebro (with proper HP bars), which interface with the main Pikachu model with the automatic battle system. Said system has Pikachu latch onto an enemy (denoted by an exclamat??ion point above its head), battle them with electric and tackle animations, then return to the trainer.

Even if you don't like the visual style, the process of how Pokebro programmed all of this stuff to work in concert is worth checking out at just a short four and a half minute runtime. If you're interested in taking on a challenge of your own, you can find the trainer and Pikachu models at the aforementioned links.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXBLMqqBlaM&t=227s

The post ??This Pokemon Yellow 3D fan mockup looks like 3D Dot Heroes appeared first on Destructoid.

It was only a matter of time

In my opinion, Trombone Champ is one of the best things to happen to gaming all year. It's easy for anyone to pick up, it's well-designed, and it's laugh-out-loud goofy. I was skeptical when I ??heard someone say it's a Game of the Year contender, but it only took a few minutes into playing it to make me a believer. Now that the game's popularity has launched into the stratosphere, thanks to word of mouth on social media, we're starting to see the mods slowly roll in, which is exciting for someone who is very much a fan of mods.

Mods don't just include putting Trombone Champ in VR or adding custom song maps, however �it also means that players who modify their game to take custom controller inputs are back on the scene. In this case, it's my man Rudeism, a streamer known for his modified controller setups. At this point, I'm basically his full-fledged fan. This time, he hooked up a real trombone to play its virtual counterpart in the gam?e.

//twitter.com/rudeism/status/1574760613683023879?s=20&a?mp;t=rEXbyltnL1uM9nxDgm62pA

According to his Twitter post, an "ultrasonic sensor controls the slide, and a microphone controls the dooting." I have no idea what any of that means, but he clearly got it working in Trombone Champ, so good on him. Rudeism also states in his post that he wishes he could play the trombone IRL, which has me wondering: did he full-on buy a trombone?? for this bit? Thos??e things aren't exactly cheap, so that level of commitment is admirable, to say the least. Who knows, maybe this will be the beginning of an illustrious career for him as a concert trombonist.

Either way, this real trombone Trombone Champ setup did exactly what it was supposed to �make me happy �and isn't that all we can ask for from o?ur internet content these days? Now if anyone needs me, I'll be trying to top my high scores until someone mods K-pop?? songs into the game.

The post This guy played Trombone?? Champ with a trombone? as a controller appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a fully-fledged game, with 40 courses and eight worlds

If you ever wanted to play a theoretical Super Mario Bros. 5, you can, in this fan-created version by way of Super Mario Maker 2.

Over on Twitter, super-creator Metroid Mike 64 unleashed their finished project out into the world: Super Mario Bros. 5. As Mike puts it, they've been "working toward this moment since 2015," aiming to "create a classic Mario game that plays as if Nintendo created it themselves." To that end, it'll feature eight worlds, with 40 full courses (24 from the Super Mario World archetype, 14 from Mario 3, and two courses from Super Mario Bros.). The idea was to give the enti?re ??project a "classic" feel.

Going even further with that philosophy, Metroid Mike's aim isn't to "troll or purposely try and kill you," but rather to ease you into level designs that feel like they're organically present in a prior classic Mario game. While there's plenty of room for "instant/death can you even beat this" Mario Maker designs, I appreciate the core focus here; as it'll make it even easier to pick up and play from a general audience standpoint. Going a step further than that, Metroid Mike add?ed in world maps with "branching paths,?" as well as some light puzzles.

This is an extremely "weekend plans set" situation. Want in? Just plug the below ID into Super Mario Maker 2.

Super Mario Bros. 5 Maker ID: 0G9-XN4-FNF

//twitter.com/MetroidMike64/stat?us/15740657960?28006400

The post This dedicated creator spent years making a S??uper Mario Bros. 5 fan project in Mario Maker 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Never tell me the odds

These streamers are just built different, because it feels like every time I turn around, another one has completed a seemingly impossible task in games with increasingly ridiculous means of playing said games. There was the streamer who played Untitled Goose Game by turning himself into a giant goose controller, or the Elden Ring streamer who challenged herself with beating the game using only a dance pad �you know, like you use for Dance Dance Revolution.

At this point, nothing should surprise me, but yesterday I was shocked to see a video come across my Twitter feed of a streamer playing Call of Duty: Warzone with a recorder. You know, the litt??le plastic flute?? they forced seemingly every fourth grader in the United States to try to learn how to play? That's the one.

The player's name is DeanoBeano, and he posted a video of himself from his stream yesterday, of course with his handy dandy recorder. He's also known for his quick-scoping, so naturally a sniper rifle was his weapon of choice. It appears that he simply mapped different notes on the instrument to match different button inputs, so after a few tense seconds of rapidly playing notes to adjust to the enemy's movements, he unbelievably gets the kill. Hearing chaotic recorder notes overtop of Call of Duty gameplay is just as funny as you'd think it is.

//twitter.com/DeanoBeano/sta?tus/1569440237650345984

I can't keep saying enough how much I'm impressed by?? these player?s who make a well-known game their own by imposing these challenges on themselves, and they're certainly making some of the most entertaining gaming content out there.

It seems that for now, DeanoBeano is continuing his musical shenanigans, because he's back on Twitch looking for more musically-assisted dubs. He says he also plays with drums and a Guitar Hero controller, just to name a few, so ??it soun?ds like there's more to look forward to from him. Godspeed, DeanoBeano, godspeed.

The post Call of Duty streamer?? gets a sniper kill by pl??aying a recorder appeared first on Destructoid.

Nintendo will be going hard on this sequel

Given the rapid release of the Splatoon 3 and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet OLED models, this Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 OLED mockup (via vragal on Reddit) sounds super probable as somet?hing Nintendo might release in 2023.

Billed as a faux "special edition," the box even has the detail of "not including the game," but does sport a fan-made white Zelda OLED Switch dock (presumably with the LAN cable functionality), as well as two special Joy-Con themed around the series with a gold and green color scheme. Remember, there is a real Zelda Joy-Con set, via the Skyward Sword re-release.

Switch mockups are among my favorite things to gander at, mostly because so many of them could actually become reality. With how experimental Nintendo is, any given first-party franchise could see some sort of special edition release, all the way up to a hardware revision. Sadly, since we're out of the age of the 3DS, we're not going to get too many of those crazy projects.

Remember when the 3DS was aliv??e and well, and Nintendo came out with some sort of new model multiple times a year? Fun times. That practice dates back all the way to the original Game Boy, but I miss having a dedicated handheld in the mix all the same.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 OLED fan-made mockup

The post With how OLED-happy Nintend??o is, this Zelda: Breath? of the Wild 2 mockup will probably become a reality appeared first on Destructoid.

What a cool physical take on the mini-game

Have you ever become so absorbed in a mini-game or side activity that it starts to overshadow the main game? It can be hard to pull yourself away! The most recent example I can point to is Cult of the Lamb and its snappy dice game, Knucklebones.

This game is compelling enough that players are sticking with it long after they've toppled all of the competitors and no longer need extra money earned from bets. Much like the fishing mini-game, Knucklebones is meant to flesh out the world of Cult of the Lamb and help you pass the time when you need a break from dungeon raiding?? or cult raising.

It's good fun, the kind that sticks with you longer than it should �and? fans want more.

One Cult of the Lamb fan created a browser version of Knucklebones, and another, who goes by BenY-S on Reddit, whipped up their own physical adaptation of Knucklebones.

[caption id="attachment_342096" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{The Knucklebones mini-game in Cult of the Lamb.}[/caption]

As you can see ??from this in??-game comparison screenshot, they nailed it.

According to BenY-S, they used a Cricut Maker "with a mi??x of cream card, balsa wood, vinyl, and red/black foam sheets." The slots on the side of the board are for noting wins, and the instruction sheet's numbers show what single, double, and triple dice are worth.

To kee??p everything tidy, they even created a nice little Knucklebones box.

[caption id="attachment_342120" align="alignnone" width="1600"] _{[Image Credit: BenY-S]}[/caption]If you haven't tried Cult of the Lamb yet and you're intrigued, here's a prob??ably-too-brief breakdown of Knucklebones. Players take turns rolling and placing dice into one of their three columns, with the goal of having the highest point total when there are no moves ??left to make. By matching dice in a column with a pair or triple, you'll multiply their value �but a player can also wipe out the opponent's dice by matching it in their own column.

As such, there's luck involved, but you can sm??artly hedge your bets.

As others have suggested, it would be awesome to see the game developers (or a par?tner) come out with an official mobile or physical version of Knucklebones. I'd play it.

The post A Cult of the Lamb fan made their own Knucklebones dic??e game appeared first on Destructoid.

I hope a lot of these tricks live on in the sequel

Zelda: Breath of the Wild apple farming isn't something I really paid a whole lot of attention to when playing it, but now I'm all about it thanks to this video from I_snort_crayons (a name that made me snort in turn).

As the video shows, it's as simple as walking up to a tree, and using Revali's Gale. Instead of following up with the leap ??ability, you just cue it up, and the shockwave knocks apples off of the tree. The video creator calls it "non-destructive apple farming," as it doesn't involve chopping the tree down, or causing some amount of ch??aos to actually acquire the apples.

This Breath of the Wild apple farming method is one of many, ma??ny things I wish I knew during my travels the first time around. I can still think back to that era, playing it in isolation before launch: then seeing all of the crazy tweets and tips/tricks folks shared?? during the week of release. It's a magical time and as I talk about often: it's still paying out!

I know some of you are groaning at the prospect, but we likely have many more years to come of shared Breath of the Wild discoveries thanks to the sequel.

An easy Zelda: Breath of the Wild apple farming method:

The post I’m using this genius Zelda: Breath of the Wild apple farming method appeared first on Destructoid.

That horizontal Switch dock setup has everyone asking questions

Masahiro Sakurai isn't doing Smash Ultimate DLC streams at the moment or working on another entry (that we know of), but he'??s still taking to Twitter co?nstantly to talk about the hobby. His latest set of tweets involves his updated Sakurai gaming setup, wh?ich has decidedly gone vertical.

In a series of photos, he shows off his made-to-order shelves, which house numerous gaming consoles. Visibly, we can see an Xbox Series X, PS5, Switch, PS4, PS3, Wii U (!), Famicom (NES), Genesis, and SNES. The top plate and back are removed to push out heat, and he leaves the door open when playi??ng. Adorably, he has a few controllers labeled with tiny little stickers, like "Xbox X" or "2" (presumably for player two). Those same labels adorn the power cables that plug into the wall (and the power supplies ?can be turned off individually).

An updated look at the Masahiro Sakurai gaming setup:

//twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/statu??s/1559806360329392128

The most curious element is easily the horizontally-docked Switch. ??He even had to post a response tweet because of it! Here's what he said: "There was a reaction to the Switch dock horizontal placement...it's not recommended by the manufacturer, so do it at your own risk. This is just my personal experience, but I had no problems using it until I cleared Xenoblade Chronicles 3." Well, if Sakurai says ?it's okay! To be frank I never even really considered it, ?but it looks awesome on certain shelves.

If you're curious, PushDustIn chronicled Sakurai??'s previous setup i?n 2019 here. You can compare and contrast!

The post Smash Bros. boss Sakurai has a kille?r gaming setup appeared first on Destructoid.

30 pounds of plastic went into this fan creation

One of the coolest visuals in Elden Ring, the Walking Mausoleum, caught my eye long before we got to play the game or knew it by name �the stomping giant was in the first gameplay trailer, and I distinctly remember it setting off sparks in my imagination. In a trailer full of cool shit, it stood out to me; it got me wondering about the gameplay possibilities that could come out of an open-ended world designed by?? FromSoftware.

Months after exhausting the game (for now), I still think about these big boys.

A fan on Reddit, HoboSapient, shares my enthusiasm �and then some. They created a big, detailed, surprisingly heavy LEGO version of Elden Ring's Walking Mausoleum. (Thanks, PC Gamer.)

//www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/com??ments/wh03tn/wondering_mausoleum_that_i_built_with_lego/

The build weighs 30 pounds and uses an estimated f??ive to six thousand pieces.

How'd they source all of those bricks? "Whole lotta Pick-a-Brick at the LEGOstore, plus 20+ years of collecting," according to the builder. "Lots of Technic," too.

Four months ago, HoboSapient shared a concept for the? top half of the?? Walking Mausoleum. The version we're seeing today was scaled down "somewhat."

I'll echo what some of you are surely thinking: this looks g?ood enough to be an official LEGO product, and it would be a tempting one, at that. And pricey as hell. For now (and likely forever), it's a one-of-a-kind creation. HoboSapient should be proud.

They even sealed the deal ??w??ith a cat (Gwynny) for scale.

[caption id="attachment_338595" align="alignnone" width="1600"] _{HoboSapient's masterful LEGO Elden Ring creation.}[/caption]

You know those old Toys"R"Us holiday catalogs that were perfect for gifts from grandparents? I'm picturing this in the LEGO section, and I would've? circled it so hard.

For more shots, including a look at the u?nderside bell, check ??the Reddit thread.

Whether it's a slow gaming news day or a non-stop one, I love these passion ?projects.

The post This LEG?O Walking Mausoleum from Elde?n Ring looks legit appeared first on Destructoid.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is unlike anything else I've been playing this year

There's an endless amount of new games to check out depending on where you look, but what if the mood strikes and you'd rather rediscove?r a game you already love? There's nothing quite like a good replay, especially when you generally know what to expect but some of the finer details aren't as fresh as they used to be. Timing is everything.

Halfway through 2022, that's where I'm at �I'm in the mood for some comfy, familiar gaming; hold the new stuff. I'm fighting the ur??ge to keep moving from one in-the-zeitgeist target to the next, and I don't mind putting my backlog on pause for the near future.

More or less out of nowhere, I've been playing 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order for the second and likely inevitable third time. It's been a while since I've played a single-player FPS, and Wolfenstein III feels as elusive as ever, so here I go again. With this retread, I also want to figure out if I should bother with any of the series' DLC, or Youngblood.

Instead of just replaying Wolfenstein: The New Order once more fo?r its (surprisingly good at the time, and still solid to this day) story, I've convinced myself that I now need to:

• Check out the alternate timeline â€?which, for me, involves saving Wyatt instead of Fergus, to boost up my armor reserves and see new story bits.
• Mop up all of the gold trinket and Enigma code collectibles I missed despite playing very patiently and trying not to step into mini points of no return.
• Play one final time on Uber difficulty before moving on to Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (or The Old Blood if this excursion balloons to include the prequel).

As I write this, I've just wrapped up thi?s replay and started a??nother playthrough.

[caption id="attachment_336633" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Some of the visuals feel dated now, but I am super into the decade-spanning scope of this series.}[/caption]

The big picture �a decades-long Nazi-r??esisting sci-fi-infused alt-history story with a relentless protagonist who just cannot seem to stay? dead �was still crystal clear.

Certain memorable scenes �like the "choice" B.J. makes in Deathshead's castle and on the trai??n to Berlin, infiltrating the extermination camp, and the trip to the moon �have stuck with me after all these years. But a? lot of the little details were hazy. Perfect!

I also didn't realize how fun it'd be to play an of-its-time shooter campaign in 2022, where these sorts of games, ??at this scale, and from these publishers, are no longer common.

One needlessly confusing underwater section aside, I found Wolfenstein to be a breezy, satisfying replay. It went well enough that, at this point, I've decided to go all in. I hope I find my remaining collectibles on this next playthrough, and I extra hope I ca??n get through m?y end-of-the-road Uber difficulty playthrough without too many headaches.

Fans generally don't like Wolfenstein II as much as its predecessor, and I'm curious to see if my opinion will sway one way or the other �I remember liking the sequel (or at least parts of the sequel) more than most. It pulls some crazy shit, that's for sure. The lack of a third main game to close out the trilogy stings, but at least I kno?w that going in.

[caption id="attachment_336701" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{A new third-person mode in Resident Evil Village *right before Halloween*? That's a replay!}[/caption]

Why do we replay games, anyway?

Even if you don't share my fondness for the Wolfenstein reboot (in its heyday or in 2022), I'm sure you have a recent favorite game that you enjoye??d revisiting.? Let's talk about it.

When I think about this topic, my mind typically goes to the games that are built with replayability in mind or otherwise feel eternal for a lot of folks �Resident Evil, Dark Souls, Skyrim or Fallout, your?? favorite now-retro childhood game, take your pick.

All well and good, though I'd be int??erested to hear a?bout more personal picks.

Does a game need to do anything specific to warrant a replay, or is it?? more about the overall passage of time, some new motivator (like an upcoming sequel), or changing industry trends? Have you ever replayed a game with someone else who's new to it?

How do ??your game-replaying habits line up with your movie-rewatching or book-rereading tendencies?

The post What’s the last game you replayed? And why? appeared first on Destructoid.

The heartfelt cat mods are off to a great start

While Stray has a set-in-stone look for its adventurous orange tabby, if you're playing the game on PC, there are some convincing ??mods to alter the look ?of the "purr-tagonist."

Chris already highlighted a funny Garfield mod, and Eric nudged me to mention a cursed "joke mod" that squishes Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas star CJ into a cat-shaped body. After all the laughs, it'll be nice to have some realistic alternate coats. It's early days on Nexus Mods, but Stray fans have already replicated thei??r own cats in the game.

Poking around the site, I found Stray cat mods for a tuxedo, calico, gray tabby, tortie, siamese, and even a sphynx. A creator named Hacktix uploaded some commissioned mods based on other players' real cats, and their own, Jessy. My heart is melting.

Another good one: Antonio El Gato, from modder Angeloloo �it's "a texture edit of the main cat but instead it's my cat Antonio." And yes, the mod page includes a few real-world shots for c??omparison. The wholesome levels are off the charts with this? game.

[caption id="attachment_336566" align="alignnone" width="1899"] _{The Pick of the Litter mod from SpaceD0lphin has a nice attention to detail.}[/caption]

Pick of the Litter, a multi-coat mod from S??paceD0lphin, has some lovely hand-painted designs. I'm sure a lot o?f people will be looking for a classic black cat.

Installing these mods should be as simple as extracting the files and dropping them into the game's install directory on your PC. (steam\steamapps\common\Stray\Hk_project\Content\Paks,? for instance.) I'm excited to see how the scene grows from here.

One of my favorite parts of reviewing Stray on Destructoid was seeing readers share a bunch of heartwarming cat pics �y'all flooded the comments with the best possible show-and-tell. Since then, I've seen disappointment that the game lacks customization, and while I'd have a hard time playing through this occasionally tense, perilous, monster-filled game with a cat resembling our own little troublemaker, I do get the appeal.

Mods or no mods, it sure is nice to rally around a game like Stray, isn't it?

The post Stray players are swapping in their own cats appeared first on Destructoid.

Noclip does it again

Here at Destructoid, we've covered the Bloodborne PSX demake fan project pretty comprehensively �mostly because it rules. The scope of the demake is insane, and now we have a full 40-minute documentary on how it was made thanks to the YouTube Channel Noclip.

The Noclip team actually had the chance to meet and speak with Lilith Walther, the creator of the Bloodborne demake. Walther was inspired by Photoshop mockups/renders of God of War 3, Uncharted 2, and BioShock demakes, and created a prototype of Bloodborne PSX in three weeks in 2017.

It goes through Walther's entire history of game development (and how they were spurred on by the complicated circuitry systems of LittleBigPlanet 2), through the origins of the demak?e itself. They talk about how a large part of the demake is meant to infuse old-school PSX-era systems into the game beyond just the raw aesthetic, including clunky UI elements (referred to as "rolling back quality of life syst??ems").

They also wax poetic about how fun old-school game design could be, and how quality-of-life features can potentially muddy the waters and put a damper on exploration. As someone who has grown up with games since the Atari, I've seen both the good and the bad of this philosophy, and while streamlining/quality of life has had a positive impact overall, in the subsector of action-adventure titles, I see exactly what Walther is saying here. Definitely check out the doc if you're remotely interested in game design or Bloodborne!

As a reminder, you can get the project and check it out for yourself right here.

//www.youtube.?com/watch?app=desktop&v=OZBNbU1T??edI

The post Here’s a comprehensive look at the Bloodborne PSX demake appeared first on Destructoid.

Free fan game released on PC

Team Fortress 2 and Hotline Miami are an unlikely match, but in the realm of just-go-for-it-and-see-what-sticks fan games, this funky fusion works well enough. Midnight Mercenaries, a top-down action game released for free on Game Jolt, lets you cleave through heavily armed enemies as familiar TF2 classes like the Scout, Heavy, and Spy. It's definitely worth a run-through if you've got the time. (Thanks, Rock, Paper, Shotgun.)

Imagine smacking a Hotline Miami goon from afar with a baseball, or unloading a minigun on a room of baddies (then blowing yourself up with a barrel). That's Midnight Mercenaries.

The creator, GermanPeter, also has an extended playthrough on YouTube (embedded here) if you just want to take a peek without?? committing to a full install on Windows.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw4gnzjOb5I

Much like the source material, the action can be frenetic until you get a proper feel for the floor plans and how the AI might react to your plan of attack. Sometimes, you have the right idea, but there's something off and the whole thing gets derailed. Death can be instantaneous �for you and your foes. And beyond the iconic Hotline Miami framing, Midnight Mercenaries also works to replicate the unique kits for each TF2 class.

As much as I often stuck with a shotgun in the Hotline games, I don't mind adapting to differ??ent playstyles, and that's kind of the appeal here. Some of the old tricks still work against the super lethal but less-than-bright AI, while other times, depending on the level layout, it'??s crucial to work with �not against �your character's particular set of skills.

It'll keep you on your toes, but it's not unfair

According to the developer, the intention is to have "fair enemy placement that prevents enemies from sniping you from off-screen." There's also a respawn option, so you can take another crack at the current floor without a ton of pressure. Of course, high score chasing is a major part of Hotline Miami, and that holds true for Midnight Mercenaries too.

[caption id="attachment_336384" align="alignnone" width="1432"] _{Watch your step.}[/caption]

The story setup isn't particularly memorable �I found it hard to buy into, given the characters involved. There's also no topping the real deal's soundtrack. But if you're looking for familiar Hotline Miami action with a neat enough TF2 twist, this is it.

Just watch out for th??ose blended-in bottomless pits. Every da?ng time!

The post Midnight M?ercenaries combines Hotline Miami action with Team Fortress 2 classes appeared first on Destructoid.

You can see the Breath of the Wild split-screen mod in action below

A Zelda: Breath of the Wild split-screen multiplayer mod is like a dream come true?, especially ??if it can be done with extra processing power. Well, dream no more.

Created by modder Kirbymimi, the mod adds ??multiplayer to the popular action-adventure romp. As the modder notes, the project was spurred by the desire to create new emergent situations that are only possible through the power of multiplayer, ?like sneaking into a bokoblin camp with one player serving as a distraction, while the other does a pincer maneuver. Or, spur-of-the-moment events like a plain old-fashioned shield race down a cliff, or taking down a boss together.

The mod actually supports up to four players, but right now there are some technical limitations. As is, using the link above, everyone shares the same screen, so a button to teleport everyone to the lead player is needed. However, as the popular YouTube channel Waikuteru p??oints out, split-screen is al??so possible thanks to a beta version of the mod that's coming out on July 29.

Now there are still technical limitations. As Waikuteru notes, the game "starts to lag if people are too far away" from one another, so it's best for everyone to stay in the same area for the Breath of the Wild split-screen mod. Still, we can expect further refinements down the line??, and the fact that this is even possible i?s amazing.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k8nEA-y7E4

The post Oh loo?k, a Zelda: Breath of the Wild split-screen mult??iplayer mod appeared first on Destructoid.