Je t'adore means I love you very very much.

What�s great about the internet is that you can find amazing websites full of passionate gamers ready to talk to you about their favorite videogames for hours upon end. It also happens sometimes that one day you find a website worthy of your fidelity and total commitment for three entire years. But really what�s the most important part of any videogame blog or website? We all share a common passion for videogames and even though they provide us hours and hours of entertainment the most important part of any successful gaming website is the people forging it.

The people of Destructoid is what push me to write every day , browse every day , share my thoughts and opinions with all of you guys. The amount of appreciation I have for this community and its staff is pretty simple;

I fucking LOVE, LOVE YOU GUYS! <3<3<3<3<3

I would never consider myself at home on the internet more than on Destructoid , we have a wonderful community full of passionate and talented peoples.

Happy 4th year anniversary Destructoid and may the ever-growing little Smoke Spaceman climb into the stratosphere and prosper till the end of time.


The cake delivery man was stuck in the snow , but it got here on time!


In 2016 , I�m still gonna be here to tell you how much I fucking love this website and its community.

Longue vie � Destructoid et � ses membres , je vous aimes du fin fond de mon coeur.
Long live Destructoid and its members , I love you from the bottom of my heart.

Some of you might have heard about Mommy�s Best Games new project called Shoot 1up. They previously released Weapon of Choice two years ago and now after several months of delay the newest title is finally available to the masses. If the trailer doesn�t sell you the game right off the bat like it did for me let me explain to you why Shoot 1up is probably the greatest thing ever.

First of all, it�s pretty obvious now that the XBOX360 library is boasted with an incredible Shmups library with fantastic ports from the arcades and new original titles. However most of these originate from Japan and tend to stay in their country of birth due to region lock. Well as rare as it might seem there is now a western produced Shoot�em up on the market place that puts a lot of the already available shooters in North America to shame.

For ONE FREAKIN DOLLAH you get a title with amazing unlockables , intense gameplay and a shooting mechanic totally fresh to the genre. The principle of the game is to collect 1ups which grants you an additional ship to fight at your side, as long as you don�t lose your ships they will stay on the screen and keep firing. Now the beauty of it is that you can expand or retract your ships in order to create different formations and with these formations comes different beams and power-ups. Expand your ship enough and you�ll have a kick-ass beam of death getting wider based on the distance between ships. You can do diagonal beams, wave-beams or the classic single beam. You can even use your shield to blast enemies away by making it explode.

The length of the game is perfect, the difficulty is right up there between Ikaruga and Raiden plus you get to enjoy it for ONE FREAKIN DOLLAH. Did I mention that one of the bosses is a giant woman-plane monster shooting yellow and red bullets from HER FREAKING TITS! If this doesn�t sell you the game alone I don�t know what will� Seriously I mean the entire level has naked women in the background lying there just chilling. The game�s final boss is a giant enemy crab; I mean what more do you want?!

If you�re a fan of shmups like me you owe it to yourself to get Shoot 1up it�s freaking amazing! If you never played a bullet hell shooter or any Shoot�em ups before well what do you have to lose? It�s only a buck son!

GET IT NOW! DO EET! 1$ JESUS CHRIST OMFGZ!

Also, the soundtrack is absolutely terrific!



BUY SHOOT 1up

In videogames female protagonists are often depicted as attractive young women pleasing to the eyes or most of the time, as sexual toys for the pleasure of an overcrowded male audience. Sometimes however there are some games capable of breaking such stereotypes by bringing refreshing new characters worthy of the female kind. Some of the relevant ones being Alyx Vance from Half Life 2 or Jade from Beyond Good and Evil. This cohort of words is however a shameful attempt at introducing a young lady who plays a huge role in Quantic Dreams�s latest game Heavy Rain. We could even say that to some extend she is the saving grace of the game.

It�s commonly accepted that women are not accurately represented in videogames especially when it involves their physical attributes. Although this argument is not being the main drive of this article it�s relevant to describe Madison Paige as one of the most realistic looking woman in videogames. Tomboyish to some extent, Madison is put in several instances where her femininity is challenged and her strong will and sense of self-respect are as well, which makes Madison a very interesting character to analyze.

Let�s take her introductory sequence as an example; as seen in many trailers of the game, Madison is attacked in her apartment by burglars who unless you�ve completed the sequence in game seem to be much attached on the idea that her days are counted.



That scene is reminiscent of a very specific sequence in the first Alien where Ripley being unaware of her surrounding is attacked by an unstoppable foe when she is at her most vulnerable. She tries desperately to survive from her attacker and of course her sense of survival is greatly tested. An environment of security and conform is then turned into an environment of tension and invading.

Some of the most interesting scenes involving Madison are in some ways unaffected by Blake�s omnipotent control over the course of the story. She is therefore the most independent character in the game of a somewhat masculin driven narrative.

At many instances, she uses her journalistic instinct to solve the mysteries behind the origami killer and becomes an active agent in the closure of the game. Without divulging too much of the story, various aspects of her personality and of her womanhood are challenge in those scenes notably with her pride, her physical vulnerability and her will to survive.



She also plays a great role in supporting Ethan in his quest to save what�s dear to his heart. This is quite an unexpected role for a female character won�t you agree?

The character of Madison plays a huge role in keeping the thrill and stressful atmosphere of the game alive exposing her in the game�s most intense sequences. It gives the player a great sense of control and self-awareness about the consequences off which they choose to take. These scenes alone are worthy of being the saving grace of Heavy Rain so much so that a full lengthen game about Madison alone should�ve been enough to create a superb experience about a female protagonist being the flagship to a great story.

There have been a lot of debates recently about what went wrong in the design of the Sony�s newest software exclusive. Some say the plot holes in the story are to be held responsible; others think that Heavy Rain being what it is failed to achieve a bridge between movies and videogames. We could also say that as the game requires player decisions and personal choices during its story-line, ultimately it would result in a bad experience and ruined the constituency of the characters goals and the plot.

Even so, looking back at all these reproaches to the game, we might have overlooked one of the less apparent flaws of Heavy Rain. Whether or not we think that the QTEs or the deliverance of the casts are apparent imperfections, there is a character in Heavy Rain that plays a role much more important that we might think. Having talked to a lot of people about my personal feelings about the game I came to a grounded conclusion on the killing blow that was delivered to Heavy Rain�s narrative. It�s not the controls, the farfetched plot twist or the decisions you are going to make in the game it�s actually what we could call the hidden protagonist of the game which will be discussed below.

*There is a possibility of spoilers for Heavy Rain beneath this warning, I tried to the best of my ability to reduce its disclosure.�



Naturally we would consider Ethan, Madison, Norman and Scott to be the four main protagonists of Heavy Rain as they were evidently advertised. It�s a fact that most of the story revolves around these characters and by the end depending on the player�s decisions , the outcome of the epilogue will be different from one�s game play to another. Yet at particular points in the game there are obligatory interventions from an outside power other than the player�s. This loss of control is mainly directed by the role played by Lieutenant Blake, the policeman formerly met in the Demo version of the game.

In more than one instances , Blake uses this restrictive narrative to keep the player in check and make him or her acknowledge that they�re in no way in control of the story they�re supposedly the masters of. Whenever you try to make a good or bad decision the only thing that will be dramatically different in your experience will be the dialogues ultimately leading to the closure of a scene or chapter. During a sequence if you choose take the path of goodwill and intervene with Blake�s actions. You will notice that whether or not Blake decides to do what he does, the outcome of that sequence will be the same as if you took the supportive part. Not knowing what the scenes are about, you will find out that even if some are radically different in circumstances, the consequences will be irrelevant.



Another huge factor that Blake cripples the narrative with is when he comes in contact with other characters outside of his acquaintance. These moments are characterized by definitive decisions affecting the main characters and at the same time, they are a vehicle of the writer�s incompetence to bring a cohesive story without using a contriving agent.

Lieutenant Blake is in fact the artificial fail-safe system the redactors of the game used as a mechanic to intervene in the final decisions of the player and earlier on, is used to create an unnecessary tension between the player and the events. Ultimately these decisions will clear certain characters and negates the plot-holes present in the story.

�How far will you go to save someone you love�; Well technically using the game�s logic whatever action you take in the game, it will ultimately come down to a single clue search from one of the characters and finally as an omnipotent being, Blake will decide the fate of your character without you being able to intervene in his actions.



Heavy Rain as some very enjoyable moments, Madison�s ones being the most riveting out of all. Unfortunately its narrative is infected with an unrestricted character able to decide what is or isn�t the law and what would be ultimately revealed as a huge misunderstanding. But still Lieutenant Blake being able to decide whether or not your efforts to keep everyone alive as it would be instinctive for a good player; you will come in terms with him and suffers his wrath for your lousy mistakes.

That being said, is Heavy Rain worth it? Absolutely, only because it has some great sequences and numerous little details put in certain events that overshadow its flaws. However, the game would�ve been much more interesting in terms of narrative if the restrictive presence of Blake was removed. Consider this more as a fair criticism than a complete run-over rant on a memorable gem of the Playstation 3 library.

During the first decades of the 20th century the movie industry became one of the most prolific and popular ways of entertainment for the masses. Millions of peoples went to the theatre to see what would become the definitive visual expression of mankind. It wasn�t until the beginning of the 1920s that the world would see movies as a form of art rather than commercial entertainment. The forefather of this mentality was The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari. Considered by many as one of the first legitimate horror film it pushed the boundaries of movie making by exposing for the first time Expressionism in its visuals and the global modernization of society in its storytelling.

As of late, a new XBOXLive Arcade title named The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom was released. With its creators being huge fans of Chaplin, Harold Loyd and Buster Keaton it was inevitable to see many influences been carried on in the design of the game. Winterbottom is a puzzle-platformer worthy of any time-bending and pie eating fanatics. Although the game has a notable sense of humor, one of the most neglected aspects of its design is in the morbid atmosphere surrounding this somewhat light-hearted game. As we approach the inevitable parallel that we are about to discover, let�s see how The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom takes it�s substance in one of the most revered horror films in the history of cinema.



Let�s look at the game and movie from a visual stand-point ; If we compare the two we can clearly see that Winterbottom�s backgrounds are greatly influenced by the angular and incongruous shapes of Caligari�s style. The backgrounds and the front layers of Winterbottom�s level design are darken by the black and white filter applied to the game. Like the scenes in Caligari they share that grim tone and paint-like feel that would confuse the viewers into thinking that they are actually still images. The dark tones and sinister music used in the game are also indicatives of the influence of the movie.

One other notable aspect of Winterbottom�s presentation is the way the game concludes its levels by retracting the iris of the camera into a small pocket of light emphasizing the attention on P.B. while it�s closing up. This technique is also used in The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari as transitions between scenes in order to highlight certain characters or symbols.

An interesting tangent is also present in the way the story of both The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari and The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom are told. In fact, the panels used in one and the other give the impression to the audience that the narrator is inexistent. They are employed as way to prevent voluntary cuts in the continuity of the stories and make it seem like the flow between scenes or levels are meaninglessly stopped by pauses. This is what we call narrative continuity.



Let�s get back for a moment on the original perception of the German expressionism of the 1920�s and 30�s. Back at that time this artistic movement was often paired with insanity and delusion, notably so most of the artists who called themselves expressionists we�re later on in their lives proclaimed insane which leads us to our final argument in this analysis. The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari was one of the prime examples of the expressionist wave of the early 1900�s with its story about madness and insanity. The movie essentially revolved around an unsolved murder case intertwined with a Frankenstein-esque love story between Cesare the somnambulist and his victim.

Solely based on these facts, if we were clever enough to use our imagination , we could also create a tangent between P.B.�s Winterbottom obsession for pies and Cesare�s obsession for Jane. Furthermore if we take the metaphorical sense of the round figures present in every scenes Jane was shown in, we could also speculate that the "round" pies in Winterbottom are a twisted metaphor to represent womanhood and PB�s sinister womanizing adventures. But if we should embark in such intellectual endeavors we could be legally proclaimed as insane!



In Conclusion, whether or not we consider videogames as art we can�t help but see the influence of other mediums in its evolution. A great example of this argument is portrayed in the latest XBLA game P.B. Winterbottom off whom it takes its humor from the great silent forefathers of american cinema but in parallel brewed with the horror and film-noir movies of the early German expressionism of the last century in both its presentation and story-telling.

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If you are interested in seeing what The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari is all about you can do so right away with this link since the movie is now public domain for all to see. You can also listen to a somewhat gritty version on youtube aswell.

As a side note, the game possesses a great rag-time jazz soundtrack that characterizes perfectly the 1920�s upon which the game is based on.

Characters are the foundation of any stories, they are the pillars that support both dialogue and story telling. Suprisingly so, we encounter different casts of characters intentionaly de-humanized in order to shake down our standards. Bioware�s Mass Effect 2 is no exception to that matter with it�s fantastic cast of teammates upon which you must embark them into a perilious mission off whom many of them might not survive. Due to the vast selection of squad members present, I have decided to expose one of my favorite peer and have a little bit of fun combining the Star Trek and the Mass Effect lore with his story.



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I played Mass Effect 2 without having the certitude that a recruitable Geth would be present in the game. Be my avoidance of the massive publicity surronding the game or my conservative character to avoid spoilerific content I went in semi-ignorant. Let�s just say that when the first contact occured with Legion I had a huge grin on my face all along it�s introductary mission. The trekkie in me then proceeded into a burst of joy when I finally activated him in the I.A. core of the Normandy.



This scene alone made me drool entirely on the awesomeness that was Legion, let me explain; If you are a savvied Star Trek fan like me, you would know that this portion of Legion�s character development is directly inspired from the episode �I, Borg� off the 5th season of Star Trek The Next Generation. During that episode , the crew of the Enterprise comes in contact with an injured Borg and after threating is fatal wounds befriend him due to it�s unusual adaptative behavior and understanding of individuality and friendship. As off the Next Generation universe , the Borg are the ultimate enemy of the federation , an unstoppable force of nature. In some ways , the Geth collective takes it's foundation into the Borg collective.

Mass Effect 2 however exposes a suprising revalation about the race of cybernetic machines. Legion is part of the True-Geth basictly meaning that the other Geth off which we fought in the first one was a renegade faction of the collective.


There is also a very interesting similitude between the Quarians and the El-Aurians common fate.

Legion represents the perfect reference to Star Trek in all of Mass Effect's lore. This is without a doubt a straight hommage to the episode and the arch enemies of Captain Picard. So much so that without knowing the script of both Shepard and Legion I was able to anticipate the lines of dialogue present in the video with a huge feel of reward. Fortunately enough Legion plays a huge role on the battlefield by having the most powerful sniper rifle in the entire game and being an excellent asset to my Vanguard. The only thing I disliked about him was that I didn�t had the opportunity to recruit him earlier. Along side Jack , they were my bone-crushing team until the very end of the mission.

Seeing that Hugh (the rescued Borg) was basicly took away from Star Trek and put into Mass Effect 2 only now he was called Legion and was a robot, I thought it would be cool to look into the future of the trilogy and have some fun with the story.



Let�s pretend for a second that after introducing the virus into the heretic Geths something similar to the Star Trek two parter episode Descent reflected itself on the Mass Effect universe. Of course the True-Geth would not be affected since they have come to a universal ethos that the old machines (The Reapers) are irrelevant to their evolution and place in the universe. The problems lies however in the regenade faction of the Geth affected by the reprogramming virus.

Following this trail , let�s speculate that Bioware was clever enough to put a android character into the storyline of the 3rd game. Let�s name it Lore; Now Lore is a fully realised cybernetic lifeform capable of individual thoughts and emotions. Since the reformated Geth would be utterly lost in their galactic calling and isolated from the Reapers servitude. The heretic Geth could become a plausible threat to Shepard�s quest to bring peace to the galaxy. A highly influenciable group of cybernetic beings looking for a calling and praising what they would consider as the perfect lifeform. Also , what if the virus you�ve implemented was fatal to the collective and destroyed the entire Geth. There is an interesting tangent to be had with genocide much like with the Rachni�s fate of the first Mass Effect.

Here�s an opportunity for Bioware to create an excellent bridge between it�s prequels. Should you have decided to sell the body of Legion to Cerberus or kept it in the Normandy I.A. core and acvitated it, there would be a dramatic change of the opposing forces in the galaxy for Mass Effect 3. A Geth collective still controlled by the Reapers or a renegade faction capable of choosing it�s own path. You would ultimetly have to deal with this android lifeform and decide if it�s a threat or an asset to your endavors.