August 2020

Few companies can claim to have had as great an influence on the last 50 years of childhood as Nintendo and Lego. These are not just two titanic brands, both famous for their fearsome quality control. They also represent two deeply thought-out and consistently developed philosophies of play. So any collaboration between them is consequential indeed, and here it is: the Lego Super Mario toy range, which arrives in shops today.

I've had a selection from the range to play with for the past couple of weeks. It's fascinating stuff. The sets, the interactive Mario figure and the accompanying app work hard to combine the best and most fondly held characteristics of both Lego construction sets and Super Mario games. If it doesn't quite come off, it's only because these two creations - each of which can legitimately be considered among the greatest works of industrial art of the 20th century - are such perfect systems, with such integrity, that they resist any attempt to splice or remix them.

This is no ordinary licensed Lego series. It isn't for fans or collectors, like, say, the Lego Overwatch range - there's the luxurious Lego NES for those folks. It's for kids. But nor does it quite resemble Lego Batman or Lego Star Wars sets, where the fun comes from seeing your favourite characters rendered as minifigures and from building replicas of the famous vehicles and props to play with in dioramas of your own devising.

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During this morning's Japanese Fighting Game Publisher's Roundtable stream, developer SNK announced that a third season of content is headed to its meticulous fighting title Samurai Shodown.

No further information was released outside of this simple statement, but from experience we can expect several new characters will be headed to the SamSho roster. Whether these characters will be newcomers such as Darli Dagger, returning stars such as Iroha, or more strange cross over selections like The Warden and the recently revealed Gongsun Li remains to be seen.

Samurai Shodown, now readily available on PC and consoles, has certainly succeeded in making a name for itself among modern audiences. Even if the footsie-heavy fighter isn't quite as popular as the Street Fighters and Tekkens of the world, it holds its own with a large and colourful cast of characters, an attractive period aesthetic, and a unique, almost balletic fighting style.

Samurai Shodown is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia.

As I write this it is very, very hot, and I am not dealing with this fact very well. I’m not entirely sure that it is the weekend, actually, because apparently it is now August? I’m sorry, there must be some mistake. It has been March for about ten years now.

Luckily, because time is standing still, we have a lot of time to play all the video games our tiny hearts desire! We have a goodly spread of titles this week, with more than a few being drawn to diddy survival game Grounded. Ants. So hot right now. Like me.

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Tekken 7 is getting a fourth season.

A video announcing Season 4 of Bandai Namco's PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One fighting game reveals plans for a complete balance sweep, with every character getting new moves. For example, Korean Taekwondo expert Hwoarang has a new hop kick, and American hothead Paul Phoenix has a new shoulder charge.

There's also a new online ranking system called Tekken Prowess to work towards, as well as an improved online experience, although we don't know much about exactly what that entails. We do see a glimpse at the new opponent found screen, which now lets you see if your opponent is on a Wi-Fi connection and their disconnection rate before you accept the match.

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Netflix has announced it's working on a Beyond Good & Evil film.

Hot on the heels of confirmation Netflix is working on an animated Splinter Cell series, the streaming service revealed it's making a movie based on Ubisoft's space pirate adventure, too.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Beyond Good & Evil movie is directed by Detective Pikachu and Goosebumps director Rob Letterman.

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Though I've played fighting games for more than half my entire lifespan, I can't deny that lately I'm struggling to hold the devotion. As my eyes, fingers, and senses dull with age, I can't help but feel with each new generation of fighters I get less and less capable at holding my Mad Skillz together. The Struggle, my friends.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the genre - many of its better entries remain among my favourite and most played games of all time. But with a year without tournaments I had intended to attend, the (rightful) cancellation of EVO, and several disappointing moves from some solid franchises, I can't help but feel I might be losing the love. Maybe it's just been a particularly bad year for the genre, maybe I'm just in a funk, or maybe the death threat I received this week was the last straw. I guess time will tell - but either way, 29 years is one helluva fucking run. To paraphrase easily pleased pro-wrestling fans, I still intend to Fight For-ev-er.

But while I meander through that frankly unimportant part of my brain, why don't you drop us a note below and fill us in on what's been keeping you entertained this week. Just like the early-'90s UFC boasted: THERE ARE NO RULES!* So whatever you're playing, old or new, good fun or bad times, join in the discourse below and share with us your current gaming obsessions.

Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.

_{*Even though there were, in fact, some rules.}

The biggest news from this morning's Japan Fighting Game Publisher Roundtable was definitely reserved for Arc System Works and its lovely-looking anime fighter Guilty Gear Strive. Not only did the developer reveal classic and brand new roster additions, but it also announced that GG Strive will be launching spring 2021 on PS4, PS5, PC, and in arcades.

Returning to the fight is the domineering form of political heavyweight Leo Whitefang. Debuting in Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Whitefang is one of the three Allied Kings of Illyan, and holds governance over Europe, Oceania, and The Middle East. As dangerous on the battlefield as he is in parliament, Whitefang lays waste to his opponents with two heavy-duty gauntlet swords, raining down blows via meaty left-right hook combinations. Incidentally, Whitefang also possesses the greatest coat known to man.

Another blood-spiller is sharpening their blade and preparing to make their vengeful return in Bandai Namco's Soulcalibur VI. As revealed during this morning's Japan Fighting Game Publisher Roundtable event, Setsuka is making her long-awaited return to the steel-clashing franchise, as the third character of Season Pass 2.

Originally debuting in 2005's Soulcalibur III, Setsuka is an unassuming but deadly swordswoman, originally offering the appearance of a courtesan in order to track the legendary samurai Mitsurugi, whom she holds personally responsible for the death of her mentor, Kokonoe. Able to pass through towns and countryside as a demure, beautiful woman, the ever-alert Setsuka is able to take her foes with sudden surprise, unsheathing her blade from her parasol and making short, violent work of any would-be opponents.

At this morning's Japan Fighting Game Publisher Roundtable event, Bandai Namco announced that a fourth season of DLC content will be coming to its popular fighter Tekken 7 this fall.

No specific characters were revealed during the stream, but a trailer advertising the new season ends with an image of a sunset over Mt. Fuji, with the silhouette of a ninja-type figure resting on a pagoda rooftop. While Tekken is fairly slight on shinobi - save for Kunimitsu - the accompanying message "WHAT?!" seems to suggest that this could also be another surprising crossover character.

Halo: Infinite

‘s campaign might be torn between nostalgic throwback and open-world reinvention, but we’ve still got no ruddy clue what’s going on with the series’ multiplayer come November. Well, whatever form it takes, there is one thing for certain – jumping around with your Spartan-II pals won’t cost a penny. Following quiet rumblings earlier this week, 343 Industries have confirmed that yes, Halo’s multiplayer murderings are going free-to-play.

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A new batch of critters are now available to catch

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New Phineas and Ferb! Old Marvel movies! The Greatest Showman!

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Higurashi When They Cry and SINoALICE will have a collaboration event on the Japanese server.

The post SINoALICE Higurashi When They Cry Collaboration Announced for Japanese Server appeared first on Siliconera.

Arc System Works has shown off two new characters for upcoming hybrid 2D/3D cell-shaded fighting game Guilty Gear Strive: Leo Whitefang and Nagoriyuki.

Returning character Leo Whitefang, who made his series debut in the console version of Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, wields two greatswords to devastating effect. Here's the official blurb:

"Leo is one of the three 'Allied Kings' of the Allied Kingdom of Illyria, and is responsible for the governing of Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. He is also an accomplished warrior in his own right, with a relentless fighting style."

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Setsuka is coming to Soulcalibur 6 as a new DLC character, Bandai Namco has announced.

The super fast flower-loving Setsuka, who made her series debut in Soulcalibur 3, arrives in Soulcalibur 6 as DLC 11 on 4th August.

Meanwhile, the free update 2.20 adds a balance sweep, Setsuka's classic costume, a new stage (Murakumo Shrine Grounds), and a new Grøh episode. DLC 12, which is also due out 4th August, is Character Creation Set E, which adds a variety of Tekken-themed parts to the game.

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Fresh off the heels of Tom Clancy goes anime, Ubisoft have announced yet another collaboration with their new pals at Netflix. This time, it’s a feature-length adaptation of Beyond Good And Evil from Detective Pikachu director Rob Letterman – and with the long-dormant game sequel still no closer to release, there’s a good chance this film may even hit screens first.

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Fortnite’s water level has been going down throughout the season, unearthing old points of interest that are a little worse for wear. Dataminers have been finding hints of a new area, which players have named Atlantis. That area appeared on the map today, officially named Coral Castle.

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From weary old gorillas to graphical japes, we’ve all had our fun with Halo Infinite over the last few weeks. But haud on, we’ve still got the rest of Halo: The Master Chief Collection to get through before finishing that particular fight. This month, 343 will begin closed insider flighting for Halo 3: ODST, Master Chief’s moody, jazz-noir cousin that’s secretly the best of the bunch.

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I play a lot of card games. Competitive, cooperative: I'll try them all. That's partially why I've dipped in and out of the Pokemon Trading Card Game since 1998. While I'm generally not down with blind box collectible packs, starter sets like the newly announced Battle Academy box do a decent job of pulling me back in to relearn games and acquire that sweet, sweet new keyword knowledge.

In short, trading card games periodically release pre-built decks of cards so that you know exactly what you're getting. Fantasy Flight Games bases their entire "LCG" model around it to avoid gambling, which is why I gravitate toward their games so often. With other companies, the idea is to suck you in with the pre-set starter boxes: then get you to whale-up and buy tons of packs to get cooler cards. Jokes on you: I stop there!

In this particular "Battle Academy" kit for Pokemon, you'll get three decks (Pikachu, Charizard, Mewtwo), along with three rulebooks and a game board (no mat? Way to cheap out). The idea is that you start with the former two, then work your way up to Mewtwo. It's not a new concept, but it's a new box, so lapsed Pokemon card game fans could give it a shot with a family member during quarantine.

It's out as of yesterday worldwide, and will run you 20 bucks.

Battle Academy [Pokemon]

343 has said crossplay, input-based matchmaking and custom game browser will all release for Halo: The Master Chief Collection in 2020.

In a blog post on Halo Waypoint, the developer provided a snapshot of the features the development team is working on and committed to for 2020. Without providing specific dates, 343 confirmed a number of features players have been calling for.

Perhaps the highlight is crossplay between Xbox One and PC. 343 said crossplay, input-based matchmaking and server region selection will all release together.

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Microsoft is having a good time on Steam right now, with a number of its game in the top-sellers list.

Obsidian's Grounded is in fact the top-selling game on Steam's platform - at the time of this article's publication. Perhaps that isn't surprising given the game has seen over one million players in the first 48 hours of release.

The second top-selling game on Steam is another Microsoft game - this one not yet out. Microsoft Flight Simulator, which Martin is currently into in a very big way, is currently flying high on Steam.

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The Legend of Korra and new seasons of Aggretsuko and Lucifer

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The Disney Plus visual album is an opulent portrait of Black pride

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Fighting game tournament ARCREVO Online 2020 is scheduled for October.

The post ARCREVO Online 2020 Scheduled For October appeared first on Siliconera.

A deal on JACHS NY Henleys, Soulcalibur VI Standard Edition, a trunk organizer with a cooler, a glove, tong, and spatula all-in-one, and more are some of Saturday’s best deals.

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This year hasn't been especially conducive to tourism, to say the least, but no amount of international travel restrictions can stop you from logging into Star Trek Online's 25th-century timeline this August. The Cryptic Studios-developed free-to-play MMO is kicking off its yearly summer celebration event on August 4, 2020, and any players who start a character and complete the initial tutorial will be welcome on the shores of Risa, the classic "pleasure planet" of Star Trek Lore.

As with other summer events, players can partake of a variety of summer activities, including jetpack tours, hoverboard races, sand castle builds, and dance contests. They can even go on a scavenger hunt for Risian horga'hn statues, though sadly no jamaharon is on offer (unless you know the right chat channels to join, I suppose). Participating a little bit each day will earn progress towards the event's grand prize: A premium playable starship.

Street Fighter 5 has improved tremendously over the last few years, evolving into a premiere competitive fighter with a great roster of characters. If you've yet to try the game for yourself, you'll have a chance to do so for a full two weeks, and the trial version features all 40 characters. That's more than you'll be able to master in two weeks, for sure, making it the perfect chance to get hooked on the game before you buy it.

Discussed during the Japanese Fighting Game Publishers Roundtable, there will be a free-to-play version of Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition available starting on August 5. It will run for about two weeks and features all of the game's characters. Because of this, you'll be able to start learning who your favorites are instead of being limited to only a few before deciding on a purchase.

Street Fighter 5 took a different approach to updated releases than the series has in the past. Rather than force players to buy entirely new versions of the game like the Arcade or Championship editions, these are now available as free updates to existing owners. This keeps the community together, though the game has still never come to Xbox One.

Bandai Namco has announced that Setsuka is coming to Soulcalibur VI. She'll arrive in DLC 11 on August 4 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

A master of the blade with a lightning-fast offense and a passion for flowers, Setsuka is the third Season Pass 2 character following the release of Samurai Shodown's Haohmaru back in March and Hilde in November last year.

Guilty Gear Strive had a busy weekend during the Japan Fighting Game Publishers Roundtable, dropping three big announcements. Developer Arc System Works has confirmed that the game will be launching on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam alongside the PlayStation 4 version in 2021.

The roster is also receiving two additional fighters. Newcomer Nagoriyuki, who was briefly seen in Guilty Gear Strive's initial reveal, brings a vampire samurai energy to the mix, while the sword-wielding Leo Whitefang is also returning to action.

QuakeCon is one of gaming's longest-running conventions, and while you might have to watch the festivities from home this year, you'll at least get something for your troubles.

Starting August 7, if you have a Bethesda.net account and you watch QuakeCon, you'll get the PC version of Quake on the Bethesda launcher for free, according to reputable Twitter user Wario64. Additionally, if QuakeCon hits its first fundraising goal of $10,000--which seems fairly likely--you'll also receive a free copy of Quake II, the misleadingly-named sci-fi follow-up to Quake.

QuakeCon was confirmed to be a digital-only event back in late June, and it runs from August 7 to 9. You can check the rest of the schedule on the event's website, which includes a Representation in Video Games panel, a Doom Eternal panel, a look at the upcoming Dishonored tabletop RPG, and, of course, the grand finals of the Quake World Championship. There will probably be game announcements too, perhaps related to upcoming Bethesda games like Ghostwire: Tokyo and Deathloop. Don't expect too many details on Starfield, though.

Sometimes, video games help you to lose yourself in their worlds and stories, using the power of interactivity to bring you into the life of a character and to provide you with the opportunity to experience at least some version of their emotions. And sometimes, you get "Press F to Pay Respects."

If you're somehow not familiar with a video game joke that became a pretty widespread meme, the "Press F" moment came about in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Early in the story, tragedy strikes, and the protagonist character attends a friend's funeral. As the scene plays out, Advanced Warfare throws some interactivity your way to add some gravitas, prompting you to hit a button to enable your character to express their grief. If you're playing on PC, the default key for honoring the dead in this case is "F."

It's not even Call of Duty's fault--lots of games have had very similar moments with very similar prompts, or have allowed you to do dumb video game things at the exact wrong times--but the instance in Advanced Warfare just feels particularly goofy, probably because it appears in such a high-profile game. Here you are at a digital funeral for a fictional character in what the game hopes is an emotional, poignant moment, but a passing attempt at adding some interactivity to the scene actually works to completely undermine it. "Press F to Pay Respects" does nothing but scream at you that you're playing a video game, and that the video game is ham-fistedly trying to get you involved in something so quintessentially human as mourning, and failing at it. It's a glaring reminder that a lot of AAA games just don't have a good idea of how to make it feel natural to interact with the world in a way that's not about killing stuff.

Microsoft’s Xbox division head Phil Spencer has taken to Twitter to talk about the recent reception of PC games by Xbox Game Studios.

Spencer thanked the gaming community for the support on Steam and for Xbox Game Pass for PC and mentioned that there is more work to do.

He also admitted that in the past the skepticism toward Microsoft’s PC support was justified.

You can see the full tweet below.

Every so often, Dutch indie boyband Sokpop find themselves making an MMO. This time, however, they’re courting this boutique videogame website by nicking two-thirds of our name. Released earlier this week, Rock Paper Sock is a deconstruction of Old School Runescape that ditches sword and sorcery for three simple weapons – a rock, a sheet of paper, and a handy pair of scissors.

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Kaoru Wada will discuss his work for Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon in upcoming panel.

The post Kaoru Wada Will Discuss His Work on Yashahime Through Upcoming Online Panel appeared first on Siliconera.

Scout for Summer Seasonal Lyra and Jigglypuff and Steven and Alolan Sandslash now.

The post Summer Seasonal Scouts Are Available in Pokemon Masters for a Limited Time appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s almost August? Time sure passes at a weird rate when you don’t ever leave the house. Fortunately, there’s a tidal wave of new sci-fi and fantasy books on the way, ready to sweep you away into fantastical kingdoms, adventures across the multiverse, space battles, and at least one zombie apocalypse.

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