Only on Destructoid: Left 4 Dead 2 released this past week and while most people are having fun with it, there is a dedicated clan of people who are determined to convince the world that Left 4 Dead 2 is not a real g... 165 comments
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A surprise announcement at E3 this year, the PlayStation 3 exclusive ModNation Racers looks to redefine the kart racing genre with its ridiculous level of customization and community featur... 24 comments
Those who have played Left 4 Dead 2's "Dark Carnival" campaign will likely know of The Midnight Riders. They are a fictional rock band that Ellis seems to be rather fond of, and the campaign's fi... 59 comments
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Square Enix Europe (formerly Eidos) has today confirmed that Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is coming to the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC next year. The follow-up to 2007's Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, the... 42 comments
We've heard rumblings for some time now that No More Heroes could be making the Hi-Def jump. The latest issue of Famitsu has finally confirmed what we all have been hopping for! The original No M... 145 comments
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New friends, more zombies, better apocalypse. That's what Valve has promised, and that's what fans will come to expect when they finally pick up the sequel to one of the best zombie games ever m... 140 comments
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Sunday morning was full of surprises, one of them being Target selling Assassin's Creed 2 a bit early. The amusing part was when the cashier realized the game wasn't released until Tuesday -- af... 77 comments
Do you like free stuff? Of course you do. Sometimes you even take free stuff when you don't want it, simply because it is free. A train whistle might be a good example of this. Well, if you're in the mood to get something free that you may or may not want and you own a PSP then Sony has got a deal for you. To get people excited for the PSP's digital comic store, which is landing next month, the company is giving away a free comic.
If you want to read an issues of Star Trek: Year Four - The Enterprise Experiment then boot up your PSP, download the digital comic reader, head into the Playstation Store and enter this code: 724K-A4BG-JLD7. Comic! In your hands. Done and done. Get to reading. If Star Trek ain't your bag, baby, don't fear. Sony will be handing out more free comics via the Playstation comics site and Twitter. It should also be pointed out that the Star Trek comic can only be downloaded for free until Dec. 16, which hints at when we might be seeing the comic store go live.
World domination. It isn't an easily achieved goal. Talk to any dictator with aspirations to rule over Europe or Asia in recent history and they'll tell you, it don't come easy. Sony has a plan though, and it starts by taking over every electronic you own and then building SkyNet. Step one in that plan is to use PSN as the backbone for all of its online service offerings. The tentatively named Sony Online Service was revealed at Sony corp.'s global strategy presentation and is a way for Sony to offer a single user experience across all of its electronic platforms. Part of this plan is that premium service that was announced at the same presentation.
At the meeting Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai outlined the strategy, saying that the system would support a single user ID across the entire service and offer consumers an "enhanced value" that will be delivered thanks to SOS's ease of use and universality. "The service will be launched economically and quickly by leveraging the PlayStation [Network] service platform. For example, key assets for creating a network service management system, payment system, and content distribution system will be shared with the PSN platform so that initial investment risk can be minimized," Hirai said while his presentation showed off PSPs, PS3s, Blu-ray players, Sony's electronic books, laptops, Walkman MP3 players and pretty much every other electronic Sony makes.
Sony also wants the SOS to expand into its mobile line-up and challenge iTunes' dominance of the downloadable media market. To demonstrate that Sony could be successful at this Hirai pointed out that the PSN already has 33 million registered users and those users download 25 petabytes of content each month. He then sat down in a chair, began to pet his white cat gently and laugh maniacally as he pointed out that the company expected to sell $50 billion dollars worth of downloadable goods on the service during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010.
"I'll send an SOS to the world
I'll send an SOS to the world
I hope that someone buys my
I hope that someone buys my
I hope that someone buys my
Downloadable content
Downloadable content..."...
It looks like the Need for Speed franchise is taking a page from Burnout and going the free DLC route. For anyone still playing Need for Speed SHIFT after Forza 3 has already been released some new DLC is on the way, and it isn't just a few new cars to race in. Come Dec. 1 on the 360 and Dec. 3 on the PS3 SHIFT players will get an all new gameplay mode called Team Racing. It actually looks pretty damn awesome.
The new mode will allow players to go online with up to six friends and make a team of cars. The goal of team racing is not for individual glory, but for the entire team to do well. This should create some pretty interesting racing tactics that you don't see too often, especially in online play. As the video above shows it's actually looking a little exciting (at least to my untrained racing eye), especially when you throw in the four new muscle cars and one Toyota that come with the DLC in the form of a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 427, a 1967 Shelby GT-500, a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, a 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T and a 1998 Toyota Supra Mark IV.
What say you? Intriguing enough to pop the SHIFT disc back into the system or have you moved on already?
Resident Nintendoholic Jonathan tipped me off to this video of two-player co-op in Super Mario World. Why Rex instead of Luigi? Why not? Upon further digging, my big takeaway was that tinkering with roms is effing difficult. So the choice was likely based on lessening the amount of work.
I clicked creator Noobish Noobsicle's download link (great name, by the way) to see what all you'd have to do to get this co-op sprite up and running in your emulated Super Mario World. It ain't easy, folks. Strange numbers and instructions that didn't sound like they were formed with real words ensued.
My hope is that one day someone will go about implementing four-person co-op with elements from New Super Mario Bros. Wii into one of these Super Mario games without "New" in the title -- y'know, respawning in a bubble upon death. Stuff like that. Hell, even a new game using existing sprites would be incredible.
You know, when I posted a video of Love Plus a while back to show off its quirky dating sim charm I thought that would be the last we saw of the game here on Destructoid. After all, it wasn't coming to the West any time soon and it really seemed more like a Japanator thing anyway. Unbeknown to me the game became insanely popular and is even respected by two of my favorite game developers. Needless to say, Love Plus seems to be somewhat of a DS phenomenon, and I am proud to bring it back into the spotlight here at Dtoid.
However, I am not proud of the reason why I am doing it. A man -- a real man -- has legally married one of the characters in the game. Nene Anegasaki, a character from Love Plus, and an unnamed man were married in a church in Guam. The man brought his DS to the church and they are now legally married. The man has invited press to come to his reception on November 22, but unfortunately Mr. Destructoid's invite got lost in the mail.
The one place where a guy in a giant, metal helmet wouldn't be the oddest person around and we don't get invited... jerks. We'll just have to watch via webcam at 12 p.m. on November 22. If you need a crazy fix right this moment, you can head over to Japanator and see a picture of the church the wedding took place in and the wedding invitations.
"Ladies, take a note. Japanese men are easy to please. Refer to DS dating sim.
Don't know if I should cry or laugh. I hope this is a marketing bull by the Japanese company. So does Japanese D..."...
The last PSP firmware update added the option to download the Digital Comics reader app. One minor problem, though. There weren’t any digital comics to download at the second it was offered. I know this too well -- I looked for a comic and ended up downloading some garbage visual comic for two bucks. Turns out that’s a totally different thing.
The lack of comics has been remedied now. Earlier last afternoon the official PS blog blasted a single redeemable code, giving PSP users the ability to download their first digital comic, Star Trek: Year Four -- The Enterprise Experiment.
It’s a good thing SCE decided to give this thing away for free, because I’m pretty sure no one would download it at a cost. Regardless, the code is available over at the PS blog and just for fun, we’ve went ahead and did a small demo of how the Digital Comics reader works. Check it out in the header, and don't forget tell us how you feel about the app.
I used the “AutoFlow” functionality for the first few panels. This thing makes me sick to watch as it zooms from panel to panel. Thankfully, you can control the comic at your leisure with the analog nub. This is illustrated in the latter portion of the look.
"even then fozzy a comics story is not just told panel to panel. It almost never has been. it's not just the panels. It's the flow, design, and pacing of the panels. THis is good for artists l..."...
Yes, I said dance, because the game is about dancing, acting, love, and piloting transforming steam-powered psychic robots. For Chrissakes, your squad is called the New York Combat Revue!
Anyway, NIS America sent us a load of screenshots for Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love.Being the resident fanboy, it was my duty to make you look at them. So look at them.
The screens mostly show off the ARMS (for "Active Real-time Machine System") battle mechanics, and display how amazingly moderately the graphics have held up in the five-odd years since the original release. As you can see the bar below represents the character's action points. Action point costs can depend on the team's battle stance. Offensive stances make it cheaper to charge super moves but more expensive to defend, and so on.
So far the only interface being shown is from the PS2 release, so we don't know yet what's going to be changed for the Wii version. I'm pretty sure that both versions will still have that picture of a girl bifurcating a robot with a sword while riding a horse. Sold.
Oh, and the official site has been updated with more character profiles, screens and wallpaper. They've also provided a nice, detailed explanation of the game's LIPS ("Live & Interactive Picture System") dialog mechanics.
Check the gallery for hot picture action, and get under the cut to watch the game's intro.
"my brother used to import the sakura taisen games. I was always curious about them but didn't know a lick of japanese. Finally get a chance to try it."...
So I guess this Dark Void game is going to be a pretty big deal. What with the movie tie-ins we can easily conclude that Capcom is looking to make this a major franchise. Maybe it's because I haven't had any time with the game yet (unlike Dyson), but I'm just not feeling it that much -- and I love The Rocketeer or at least the idea of strapping a jet pack onto my back. If you have been following the game then this video is for you, as it shows off The Watchers, who are mysterious indigenous beings from the planet Dark Void takes place on.
These guys appear to be enemies in the game, as large, sharp, metallic, pointy creatures usually are, but the video doesn't show off much about them in general. I must say that they do look a bit out of place from the retro/future design I've seen of the game so far, but that is possibly intentional so that they are clearly different from your jet pack wearing hero. See, just typing "jet pack wearing hero" is actually getting me excited for this game.
[Weekend Destructainment is a collection of funny videos brought together from all across the Internet to bring you entertainment on these slow and boring weekends.]
Ubisoft held a short film Assassin's Creed contest where the grand prize winner would take home $10,000. Above is the winner of the competition and easily deserved first place prize. Learn more about the film over on Gaming Union. Thanks, Kyle!
After the break, Mr. T comes back to make fools play World of Warcraft. Then it's Paparazzi Punch-Out. Next, Cranky Kong was a jerk. Followed by an ode to Peppy from Star Fox. Then check out the great Mega Man 2 cover by Jam Project.
Next up is Star Trek: Rock Band edition. Followed by a new episode of Webzeroes where they have a gaming marathon. Then it's Contra: The movie. The Destructainment ends with the New Super Mario Bros. Wii Super Guide failing hard.
"Ahh, I love anything that involves seeing parkour, I've been working on my own Assassin's Creed-inspired vids but obviously someone beat me to it. Then again, I've been putting it off for... like..."...
Left 4 Dead 2 released this past week and while most people are having fun with it, there is a dedicated clan of people who are determined to convince the world that Left 4 Dead 2 is not a real game. These people, who we shall class as "f*cking idiots," have labeled Left 4 Dead 2 an expansion pack, unworthy of accolade and recognition.
These people are wrong and stupid. Left 4 Dead 2 is every bit a sequel as any other game, and trying to say otherwise is ludicrous. The arguments supporting the claim that L4D2 is an expansion remain nonsensical and reek of double standards. If you think Left 4 Dead 2 is an expansion, you are clearly very ignorant, very unintelligent, or you simply haven't played the game.
Read on as we explain why thinking Left 4 Dead 2 is an expansion makes you a f*cking idiot.
"Why the hell does it matter?! In all honesty, whether its left 4 dead 2 or left 4 dead 1.5 who gives a crap? Some will buy it because they liked that first one and want more zombie goodness, some..."...
Chris Cashman’s smooth voice blasted into over 22,000 people’s ear holes last evening during the live debut of the second season of 1 vs. 100. I was one of those in attendance, listening to the Cashman in rapture while plugging in answers to questions about Michael Jackson and even Steven Colbert. Since I was there (along with a few buddies), I figured I could try to pull some of you along for the ride via a Ten Minute Taste.
As has been promised, this latest season does showcase a few changes to the core game, but nothing of the radical sort -- just small presentation tweaks that aren’t noticeable unless you’re looking for them. It’s still 1 vs. 100, including all the boring pans, shots of lifeless Avatars, and commercial interruptions.
But don’t let me discourage you from checking it out. If you’re a Gold member, the LIVE Primetime show remains free and has a show about once an evening. You’d be surprised how addicted you’ll get to this game after digging into a few Extended Sessions.
So, the beginning of Season 2. What do you guys think about it? Are you going to give the show another spin or should Microsoft have delayed it because of MW2? Discuss.
[Editor's Note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole, or how our moms raised us. Want to post your own article in response? Publish it now on our community blogs.]
At first glance, some may expect a treatise on Pokémon as a cock-fighting simulator. That would be way too easy, and it's been done before. Rather, I'm here to expose how Pokémon, as a cumulative franchise, has a more insidious, wide-reaching goal.
Nintendo's Pocket Monsters series has spent the last thirteen years raising a whole new generation of sociopaths, turning our world's children into legions of irredeemable, self-centered pricks.
But how, you ask? Pokémon is all about making friends with small, adorable creatures, so that they will aid you in combating less well-intentioned critters of similar adorability, and gain honor and prestige as you make even more friends in this great and wonderful world with way too much tall grass!
What a load, and in many ways, a load that makes a lot of the veiled corruption in this game come across as even more repulsive. Let's take a loose, imaginary play-through of your average Pokémon title, and begin shedding some light on things.
One of the best Super Nintendo games ever, Super Mario Kart, will be hitting the Virtual Console this Monday. The classic racing game will cost you 800 Wii points.
Later this holiday season, we can expect a couple of more classics to hit the Virtual Console store. First up will be Pilotwings for the SNES and towards the end of the year, Super Smash Bros 64 will also finally be available.
So yeah, good games! Not to say that everything as of late has been crap, but it's annoying that Nintendo takes their sweet time to release the games people are dying for. Anyone excited for any of these upcoming re-releases?
Well, are you? We want you to take a picture of yourself in front of whatever Naruto product you own. Whether it be clothing, DVDs, videogames -- even taking a picture of yourself in front of a computer screen with something from Naruto on it is fine. Whatever picture you take, it must have something Naruto related in the image and there has to be some kind of sign or image that says Destructoid.com. No photo editing is allowed unless you want to create an animated gif.
You have until Sunday, November 22 11:59PM CST to submit your photo in the comments below. Contest is open to US residents only. We'll be picking the six biggest Naruto fans who will each be receiving this prize pack courtesy of Tomy Corporation:
One copy of Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 (Wii), one limited edition Naruto Shippuden Clash of Ninja Revolution3 T-shirt, one Naruto Headband and Naruto chopsticks. The grand prize winner will also be scoring himself an exclusive one-of-a-kind framed poster featuring Anbu Kakashi, the final unlockable character in Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 which is out in stores this week for the Wii.
Make sure you use BBCode when submitting your photo ([img]picturename.jpg[/img] and that the image is no wider than 620 pixels. Good luck!
"A ninja that wears day glow orange? I guess if he ever needs to hide behind the general lee (from the dukes of hazzard) to assassinate a red neck, a school bus to assassinate a bus driver, or ble..."...
Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press living the dream since March 16, 2006