destructoid

Squish all of the guys! Super Splatters hits Steam soon

2013-06-19T21:00:00Z

This trailer for Super Splatters, the revised version of The Splatters for Steam, is beyond silly. It does what not enough game trailers do, however -- it gets the point across efficiently. The new release is happening on June 26, 2013 for PC and Mac, followed by a Linux port "shortly after."

Changing direction mid-air is as fun to me now as it was last year on Xbox Live Arcade. Super Splatters is still 30 percent off if you pre-purchase now. Seven bucks is, from what I've played of the original game and a new pre-release PC build, a great price. Using a mouse feels like a step up, and I tend to play most of my PC titles with a gamepad.

Ex-BioWare writer on how Mass Effect 3 could have ended

2013-06-19T20:00:00Z

You didn't think it was over did you? Okay, so the Mass Effect 3 ending controversy is really over, but that doesn't mean there aren't fair few untold tales about it's development.

In an interview with Eurogamer, ex-BioWare writer Drew Karpyshyn sheds light on what were discussed as possible endings to the Mass Effect trilogy. It seems the initial ideas all placed a heavy emphasis on biotics and dark energy, with the Reapers acting as some sort of guardians to the universe. "Dark Energy," Karpyshyn says, "was something that only organics could access because of various techno-science magic reasons we hadn't decided on yet. Maybe using this Dark Energy was having a ripple effect on the space-time continuum...then we thought, let's take it to the next level.

"Maybe the Reapers are looking at a way to stop this. Maybe there's an inevitable descent into the opposite of the Big Bang (the Big Crunch) and the Reapers realize that the only way they can stop it is by using biotics, but since they can't use biotics they have to keep rebuilding society -- as they try and find the perfect group to use biotics for this purpose. The asari were close but they weren't quite right, the Protheans were close as well."

The full interview goes on to detail even more ending possibilities, which in hindsight all sound pretty cool. Just don't torture yourself with the thought that they would have necessarily have been better. The ideas were all undercooked, and ultimately couldn't go anywhere for one reason or another. Karpyshyn continues, "I find it funny that fans end up hearing a couple things they like about it and in their minds they add in all the details they specifically want. It's like vapourware -- vapourware is always perfect, anytime someone talks about the new greatest game. It's perfect until it comes out."

Ideas left out of a games usually find themselves into sequels though, so who knows. Maybe some of these ideas can crop up in future Mass Effect projects in some form.

Ex-Bioware writer discusses dropped ideas for Mass Effect trilogy ending [Eurogamer]

Teenage Pokemon returns this month with some new friends

2013-06-19T19:30:00Z

[Update: Slight delay! The new season is now set to start on June 23rd, with an episode about depression and E3. That's this Sunday! Max Scoville as Spiky-eared Pikachu! Anthony Carboni as his trainer! Eric Stuart as Brock! Real talk with real Brock -- what could be better than that?]

Teenage Pokemon is set to return on June 21st with four new episodes. We're trying hard to make everything twice as good this time around. There are twice the storylines, twice the animators, and twice the voice actors.

One of those actors is not like the others. Can you tell which one?

As great as it is to hear a familiar voice, there is a lot going on in this promo beyond Poke-celebrity involvement. There is no way you'll notice everything on the first, or even second viewing. If you want to be a smart guy and cool guy, try to name all the Pokemon in the teaser. I'll be surprised if you catch 'em all.

Jimquisition: Xbox One No DRM Emergency Special

2013-06-19T19:15:00Z

The Escapist : Jimquisition : Xbox One No DRM Emergency Special!

Xbox One Eighty more like HA HA HA HA HA!

Jimquisition rushes to bring a half-baked opinion in the afterfall of Microsoft reversing its DRM policy on Xbox One.

Two more Sega titles getting the 3D treatment on 3DS

2013-06-19T19:00:00Z

Sega's marine mammal simulator extraordinaire, Ecco the Dolphin, is coming to the Japanese 3D eShop next week alongside arcade classic Galaxy Force II.

Similar to Sega's other -- hopefully for the time being -- Japanese-only eShop ports, Ecco the Dolphin will receive added stereoscopic visual enhancements, button remapping, and various screen and audio settings. Taking it a step further, mid-level saving and an invincibility mode dubbed "Super Dolphin" are being added. I guess Sega wants someone to actually beat the game for once.

As for Galaxy Force II enhancements, there's not much info at the moment. I'm sure it will get the same basic enhancements as the rest, but if it's a port of the Genesis version then it's nothing to get too excited for.

Ecco the Dolphin, Galaxy Force II coming to 3DS [Tiny Cartridge]

Read Ashley Davis' Valkyrie on ShiftyLook today!

2013-06-19T18:30:00Z

Former Destructoid editor and doodler of all things cute, Ashley Davis, has done many wonderful things in her years as a freelance artist. From her animated GameTrailers series, Once Upon a Pixel, to her contributions to various art books and fan 'zines, she has perfected an art style that melts even the coldest of hearts.

On hiatus from her main webcomic, Jailbird, Ashley has taken over Legend of the Valkyrie on Namco Bandai's ShiftyLook site. Based on a Japanese-exclusive action-RPG series that dates back to the Famicom days, the comic was originally drawn by Fernando Heinz Furukawa, a South American comic artist who has worked on a number of StarCraft graphic novels. Though the strip had very detailed and dynamic art, it didn't quite sync up with the writing, which shoehorned Internet humor and attempted to appeal to otaku culture with basic Japanese phrases.

Beginning June 4 with the strip entitled "Time for a Change," Ashley has assumed both art and writing duties, and the comic is much better off for it. I'm simply annoyed that it took me so long to learn what she's been up to lately. Anyway, enjoy the comic, which updates twice a week.

And as an added bonus, here's Ashley's original rendition of series heroine Valkyrie as posted on her art blog, no marios allowed!, last September.

Day-one patch needed for Xbox One DRM policy changes

2013-06-19T18:00:00Z

Sony went in a different direction than Microsoft with respect to always-on requirements and used games, and the latter company didn't hear the end of it. We certainly weren't buying the explanations. But that's in the past, now. As of today, the Xbox One has shed most of the policies gamers took issue with. According to Microsoft's Marc Whitten, that's not all the console lost.

"One of the things we were very excited about was 'wherever we go my games are always with me,' the VP of Xbox Live told Kotaku. "Now, of course, your physical games won’t show up that way. The content you bought digitally will. But you’ll have to bring your discs with you to have your games with you. Similarly, the sharing library [is something] we won't be able to deliver at launch."

Speaking to Polygon, Whitten said users "have to be connected" for the cloud-based processing to work, as you'd expect. "All of the things that require the Internet will require the console to connect. We want and expect most people to take advantage of those things, but we also want to give people the choice that they can play offline."

The family sharing concept was one I liked, in theory, as was not needing to keep the disc of an installed game in the tray while playing -- but not at such a high cost. Not even close. In light of today's news, Whitten also confirmed that there will be a day-one patch for the console.

Surprise Xbox One DRM Reversal Requires Day One Patch, Cuts Features [Kotaku]
Xbox One loses some disc-free play, family game-sharing plan with revised policies [Polygon]

Live show: Fist Puncher with Team2Bit

2013-06-19T17:30:00Z

_{[Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4p.m. Pacific on Dtoid.TV. Watch King Foom play a variety of games, each day with its own theme. With a heavy focus on community and viewer interaction, you can be as much a part of the show as anything else.]}

Do you miss old-school, 2D beat-em-ups such as River City Ransom, and Final Fight? Do you like the quirky style and humor that Adult Swim Games brings to the table? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then do we have a show for you this evening. Tonight on Mash Tactics, we'll be jumping into the wild world of Fist Puncher, a nod to classic brawlers filled with over a dozen playable, and upgradeable characters, all armed to the teeth with special attacks and abilities to be used against the hordes of evil doers you'll be up against.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested, wait, there's more! We'll also be joined via Skype, by a couple of fine gentlemen from Team2Bit, the developers of all this amazingness. If you enjoy what you see this evening, you can grab the game this Friday on Steam. However, if you are thinking about picking this up, I'd highly suggest you pre-order now. Not only will you get the game at a discounted price, but you'll also get access to an exclusive playable character from Robot Unicorn Attack, who of course, is a unicorn. What's better than that?

QotD: What is your favorite side scrolling 2D beat-em-up?

Microsoft, please stop desecrating Killer Instinct

2013-06-19T17:00:00Z

Dear Microsoft,

Please stop making Killer Instinct look like, as our own Jonathan Holmes put it, “a mash-to-win, noob-friendly combo fest.” I've played your game -- even had a proper lesson from Double Helix to help understand all the advanced systems that are in place for fighting game aficionados -- but your recent showing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has done nothing for the cause.

Sure, mashing down repeatedly on the buttons against an opponent brand new to the game may result in limited success and look kind of cool on-screen, but what good does it do for your game when you're slapping buttons like a five-year-old playing whac-a-mole at Chuck E. Cheese’s?

I understand that the majority of the Late Night viewership may not be hardcore fighting game fans, but if you wanted to show off spastic button pressing then why not show the opening moments of Ryse? Oh right, violence.

destructoid

Squish all of the guys! Super Splatters hits Steam soon

Ex-BioWare writer on how Mass Effect 3 could have ended

Teenage Pokemon returns this month with some new friends

Jimquisition: Xbox One No DRM Emergency Special

Two more Sega titles getting the 3D treatment on 3DS

Read Ashley Davis' Valkyrie on ShiftyLook today!

Day-one patch needed for Xbox One DRM policy changes

Live show: Fist Puncher with Team2Bit

Microsoft, please stop desecrating Killer Instinct

Not down with Transistor yet? Watch this demonstration

Our personal game of the show picks for E3 2013

Microsoft to drop Xbox One DRM, region locking

Japanese artists think Wii Fit Trainer is smokin'

Nordic hopes to bring back Titan Quest, Deadly Creatures

Joe Danger teams up with TF2 and Minecraft for PC version

More games should use the Zelda Oracle link system

Post-release DLC for The Bureau hits Xbox 360 first

Nintendo announces New Super Luigi U launch promotion

Bethesda: Prey 2 is 'simply not good enough' as is

Please happen: Steam may get game-sharing feature

Lords of the Fallen shows a lot of promise

Rhymedown Spectacular: Where The Hype Ends

Xbox One is terrible on Google, amazing on Bing

Why Dark Souls doesn't have music outside of boss fights

Miyamoto wasn't pleased with his work on Zelda II

Sony details PS4's promising interface

Kingdom Hearts III will pick up after Kingdom Hearts 3D

Game magazine scrubs Ellie from The Last of Us artwork

Jimmy Fallon gets down with the PlayStation 4

Highland Wars is exactly what it sounds like

Hero worship gone wrong in Hotline Miami 2

A better look at Shadow Warrior's cast of demons

Charming Teslagrad also targeting Wii U this fall

The Daily Hotness: Best Final Fantasy could go HD

Here's The DTOID Show E3 Wrap-up!

Smash Bros. Mega Man looks amazing on the 3DS

This Thief demo sees the return of a trusty tool

Warner Bros. Montreal responds to Arkham Origins skeptics

Do not update your PS3, latest firmware bricking systems

Ken Levine will write the new Logan's Run movie

Deep Down a ways away, not related to Dragon's Dogma

Incredipede on sale on Steam for $5, free on Linux

Gunpoint made back its budget in 64 seconds, kinda

Indie Royale releases The Chosen Bundle 2

Nintendo trying its hand at free-to-play with Steel Diver

I met Keiji Inafune! We discussed Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z!

EA Sports' next-gen engine doesn't support PC, Wii U

Black Ops II nails down July release for Vengeance DLC

Escape Goat 2 goes Metroidvania with new map system

Shadowrun Returns delayed until July