You’re heading to the store to get an Xbox One right now, and need to know which games to get. Or you’re at work or in school, daydreaming about what you want to play next. Or maybe you’re suiting up for a battle in the console war, cinching on your armor and trying to remember which games will best help you make the argument for Microsoft’s new console. We are here to help.
Seagate is at it again with an officially licensed Xbox One hard drive solution, and this time it's Gears of War themed. As you can see the red drive with the black COG logo goes great with the red Gears Xbox One S model, and it comes with two Gear Packs ($1.99 microtransactions) if you're into that sort of thing. In other words, it's a niche within a niche, but since Gears still sells well, it's a safe bet some of you reading this are down for matching accessories.
As is the case with all of the official drives I've tested, it's a nice plug and play experience. I stuck it in the back of my console, plugged in the USB cable, and it instantly recognized it and added 2TB (read: 1800GB~ actual) to my console. I prefer this method over the PS4's HDD upgrade requirements for sure, and I used to tinker with PCs for a living.
Note, however, that most HDDs will work, so you don't need an official option like this. Another thing to take into account is the power situation -- this one, along with Seagate's other official drives, do not have a dedicated power source (something Nintendo also recommends for the Wii U), so it may run slower since it's just tethered by a single USB cable.
However, I've been using an external Seagate on my Xbox One for over a year now and haven't noticed any performance issues, and it still works perfectly with daily use. The market price for a 2TB external is roughly $80 at MSRP, and this Gears model retails for $100, so you're partially paying for the look and Microsoft's seal of approval. The choice is yours, and although Seagate reliability differs from user to user, I'm happy with their Xbox One line so far.
It’s almost Halloween! You know what that means: video games for scary cheap prices. Or just regular cheap prices, but there’s a big picture of a spooooky cauldron full of eyeballs and hands and PC gaming components behind them.
The internet hivemind's vile side was at it again this morning. This time, by apparently hacking the Twitter, Linkedin and email accounts of No Man's Sky developer Hello Games. Buckle up because this gets messy. "No Man's Sky was a mistake." Following an extended period of silence from the developer, that (now deleted) tweet went out earlier today. Thinking something was afoot, Kotaku reached out to the developer via email and was told that, "No, the tweet was not a hack, but rather a disgruntled employee. The email that we sent however was official." Except the publication had received no prior emails.
I typically like to consume all manner of horror media throughout the month of October. The weather is changing and if I'm going to stay inside, I might as well freak myself out with spooky scary things. It just feels right. But this year, there hasn't been a major new horror game (that I've latched onto, anyway) in time for Halloween aside from maybe Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. To the backlog we go!
The Steam Halloween sale is now live, and you'll find games like Condemned: Criminal Origins ($3.73), Soma ($11.99), Dead Space 1 and 2 ($4.99 each), Layers of Fear ($9.99), and Oxenfree ($4.99).
Come to think of it, I should totally get that last one! There are movies, too. Lots of movies.
Halloween Sale [Steam]
Here’s a nightmare I’ve actually had: I’m a soldier in a war, and no one’s told me what to do. Bullets are whizzing overhead and death could arrive at any moment. Everyone around me seems to know what they’re doing, but not me. I shouldn’t be here. I’m just some guy. I sit there, paralyzed, waiting for death.
In a sea of developers confirmed to be working on projects for the Nintendo Switch, most of them have stayed silent. Koei Tecmo on the other hand is speaking out, stating this week that it's bringing the Nobunaga's Ambition series to the new console next year, but did not clarify if it was the recently released Ascension entry or another game.
While this is the definition of niche, it's great news for Nintendo. It utterly struggled to get games like this on the Wii U, and ultimately, failed. But it has steadily been developing a great relationship with Tecmo Koei since Hyrule Warriors, and it seems to have paid off. After all, the Xbox One didn't even get the Nobunaga series, so if the Switch can keep up with the PS4 in terms of big third-party gets, Nintendo will get out of the rut it's been in since the Wii.
Nobunaga’s Ambition series coming to Switch [Gematsu]
Critically-acclaimed anime movie Your Name is on a U.S. theatrical run that may qualify it for an Academy Award. It’s the story of a small-town girl and a Tokyo boy switching bodies—and changing each other’s lives—that is the fifth highest-grossing anime film of all time. In 2003, Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away won the Best Animated Film Academy Award. Your Name, the WSJ reports, signals a “changing of the anime guard.”
Our wireless router Co-Op came down to a final face-off between two reader favorites, but in the end, the ASUS RT-AC68U took over 2/3 of the vote to claim the title.
So, you’re about to start an exciting new adventure in Tamriel. Maybe you’ve played Skyrim before. Maybe this is your first go-around. If you’re playing on console, a wealth of options are now available to you, all thanks to the power of mods.
Hey guess what? Titanfall 2 is out. We're serious. It's totally out. Didn't you see the giant skyscraper poster and mass TV ad blitz? No? Okay because we didn't either.
In either case, Titanfall 2 went live last night and albeit fanfare is timid compared to the first installment, the game has thus far been positively received. Three legitimate Origin/PC deals are available at three popular digital retailers:
The top discounts are 18% off at DLGamer and GMG for US customers. GamesPlanet comes in at 48.99 GBP which is one pound in savings!
Having the title available at third party retailers is a good thing though, even those with modest discount - as this means there will be more chance for Titanfall 2 to receive seasonal discounts when savings strike's EA's mood (they cycle the deal to distributors and keep prices normal on Origin Store).
While the holiday season is coming up soon, we think a ~20% discount is the maximum you'll be seeing in the near future for digital copies. If the game doesn't sell well, expect 33% off discounts sooner rather than later from big box retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, et al.
Imagine a world in which the Sombra Overwatch ARG never ends—a horror world where there are only unsolved mysteries and the bitter, masochistic masses who hunt them down, forever. Are you picturing it? Here’s a twist: You don’t need to! You’re living it.
"You're giving me too many things that aren't KH3" would've been the subheader if it didn't sound so critical. Sure, they keep re-releasing prior titles and even this new appetizer for Kingdom Hearts 3 is packed in with a movie based on the mobile game and a remaster of Dream Drop Distance. It's likely only a few hours long, but GAT DAMN do I want it.
Longtime fanboys like me will see call-backs to the original game in the opening movie for 0.2 Birth By Sleep- A Fragmentary Passage. I almost skipped it so I could go in blind, but it didn't really spoil or reveal anything new. Simple and Clean is remixed as Aqua's friendship with Ventus and Terra is summarized alongside that of Sora, Riku, and Kairi.
The story of the game is somewhat hinted at, perhaps suggesting Aqua will help free not only herself but Ventus and Terra as well. Since we know that's going to happen at some point, I figure they may as well do that now and let Kingdom Hearts III continue the story instead of just tying up loose ends all the way through.
Sure, the story is crazy and indecipherable, but just go for the ride. People recognize that the stories of the Metal Gear and Resident Evil franchises are insane and make no sense, but we don't knock them too much for that. It's part of the fun. I've played the first two main-line games to 100% at least 10 times a piece, and even I don't get everything. And I don't care.
It's not for everyone, but it's for me and I'm ready.
As a kid, I never liked Pikachu much, preferring the softer and squishier Jigglypuff or the catlike Eevee. I didn’t see the point in capturing a Pikachu. Pikachu was the mascot. Everyone loved Pikachu. I could save my love for someone else.
It feels weird reporting on all this rad Pokken Tournament news and having Nintendo and Bandai Namco staying completely silent about the Wii U version, but here we go again.
As revealed by the game's official Twitter account, another mystery Pokemon is set to grace the arcade edition, following Darkrai and Scizor. They'll be revealed on November 1, and based on the [correct] leaks given so far, it will be Empoleon.
Even though it sold well on the Wii U, perhaps the Bandai/Nintendo collective are staying silent because of an impending Switch port? It would almost be too soon, and having to re-buy the game instead of merely picking up some DLC piecemeal a la Smash Bros. would be a bummer, but it would probably sell well and give the Switch a debut fighting game in the process.
Pokken [Twitter]
If you feel there’s something missing in the entryway of your McMansion with its towering ceiling, the world’s largest arcade cabinet might be exactly what you’re looking for. But if it ends up seeming out of place, that’s too bad, because at 14.4-feet tall there aer few other rooms in your house in which this monstrosity will fit.
All relationships take work, but some aren’t worth it. Take your cable company for instance. I’ve been there—spending hours exchanging whispers of “hidden fees” and “why the @$&#*! is HBO not in my package” long into the night. It’s enough to make me (or you) consider SelectTV.
What is SelectTV, you ask? Only the most mind-blowingly expansive and gargantuan entertainment library that cable companies hope you never find out about. I didn’t just pull out a thesaurus to pull your finger here, let’s run down the numbers shall we? I’m talking access to:
300,000+ TV episodes (almost all free, Time Warner can go shove it!)
200,000 movies (can you even watch even 1% of these a year?)
5,000 channels (that’s 4,990 more channels than I have fingers!)
50,000 world radio stations (do you need to take a seat yet?)
For some time now, the trenches of Battlefield 1 have been capturing the most authentic aspects of World War One. Snipers on horseback, soldiers leaping into planes from the ground, and medics that don’t heal people. But the most authentic and real to life thing might be the flying tanks. Just like the old days.
Men’s suiting, Tommy Hilfiger accessories, and the new MacBook Pros lead off Friday’s best deals.
Wait, the original Go Go Nippon came out in 2011? I thought it came out in 2014. Guess that explains why there's no article of this on Destructoid. Well, if you never played Go Go Nippon and have any interest in Japan or visual novels, now's a great time to give it a go. The 2016 version will release on November 11 on Steam for $19.95 ($7.95 for the new content if you already own the base game) with tons of new content, including all the content added in the 2015 version. Wait, there was content released last year!?
Those not familiar with the game and clicked on this article anyway might be surprised to find that this game is actually pretty good as far as visual novels go. I linked to Josh's review, but I also played it myself. You play as a foreigner studying Japanese who goes to Japan for a week to stay at his pen pals house. Those cool guys turn out to be cute girls, and well...yeah this is a romance game.
Compromised accounts tied to No Man’s Sky developer Hello Games led to a series of faked official statements today calling the ambitious space exploration game “a mistake.”
Whelp, Bethesda isn't sending out review copies before launch anymore, even though it saw fit to send copies to YouTubers. So here we are at the launch of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, and I'll be taking my time to go back through the game.
For now, here's some thoughts.
Abzû, the best game about exploring the depths of the ocean (sorry Ecco the Dolphin), will get a physical release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this January. It's a beautiful and relaxing adventure, focused on a deep sea diver as he tries to learn more about the world and its complex ecology. The short, atmospheric title is already available through Steam and the PSN store; the big news, therefore, is its debut on Xbox hardware. The game was developed by Giant Squid, a new studio founded by Flower and Journey art director Matt Nava. Consequently, the art direction is stunning -- if you like taking beautiful screenshots, this is the game for you.
Source: 505 Games
Eternal Darkness is a 2002 GameCube game featuring an epically dark story that takes place over thousands of years. It’s a series of interconnected tales, almost like a collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, that weave together myth, occultism, and some of the dark chapters in religion. While most people associate the horrors of Eternal Darkness with the unnerving events that happen when your insanity meter dwindles, the most disturbing aspect of the game is the grand arc based on historical elements and the ensuing reign of terror that victimizes multiple generations of characters.
So guys, how about that No Man's Sky? Guys? You're done talking about it? Same. Hello Games seems to be done, too.
Just one hour ago today, the official account for No Man's Sky developer Hello Games tweeted out "No Man's Sky was a mistake." The tweet was subsequently deleted, and the account went into a protected [private] status minutes later. Unfortunately, this is just one final nail in the coffin for a saga that's resulted in a complete lack of communication from Hello Games -- so much so that they never really responded to any of the criticisms they've had since launch. While my first inclination was that it was a hack, Polygon is reporting that Sean Murray, the game's creator, did send the tweet, but "someone" took it down, adding that they "have not been coping well."
No Man's Sky was a teaching tool for hype machines everywhere -- an experience that not only resonated with one indie developer, but Sony as well. It was a fine adventure sandbox romp, but it wasn't the same game we saw for years on end. While I get that the focus on minutia ("where was this exact plant from trailer [x]?") took away from the actual discussion at hand, I do have a major problem with the hype machine in general, and feel like it could be significantly curbed in years to come.
Between this and the first Titanfall's ceaseless campaign, I wanted to hide under a rock.
Hello Games [Twitter via Polygon]
We all know Pokemon is popular, but just how popular? Very.
Nintendo has announced that Pokemon Sun and Moon are the most successful games in the series already, and we're still a few weeks away from its release. Not only is the most pre-sold in the franchise, but it's also the most downloaded 3DS demo in Nintendo history. This news comes directly after showing off the final evolutions for the three starters (which actually sold me on Rowlet and off Litten), and the appearance of Red and Blue.
This "two game [or three]" strategy is genius, despite how unfair a lot of people perceive it to be. Regardless of what is happening with the review process I've ordered one of each version for my wife and I, as we've done for the past 10 years or so. So when Nintendo shows off these types of [theoretical] numbers, I believe it.
Nintendo of America [Twitter]
