Destructoid

Among the Rainbow Six Siege community, there is perhaps no operator more quirkily beloved than Alexsander Senaviev - better known to the Siege faithful as Lord Tachanka. Having been present in Siege since launch, the Russian Spetsnaz operator has become something of a meme character, recognised for his lumbering form, unwieldly head armour and devastatingly powerful mounted machine gun.

But sadly for Tachanka, this internet infamy has not translated into a high pick-rate. In a game such as Siege, where speed, mobility, and adaptation are of the essence, standing rooted to one spot in order to fire his trusty turret has left poor Tachanka at the bottom of the popularity pile, only really busted out for The Lolz. It seems that while players certainly enjoy the idea of Tachanka, nobody really wants to rely on the guy in the thick of the fight.

But, in Year 5, this could all be about to change. At this weekend's Six Invitational tournament, the Siege team revealed that Lord Tachanka will be one of the first roster members to be overhauled as part of the incoming "Operator Rework" project. And it looks like the time for joking is over. No-one's laughing anymore...

...Tachanka's machine gun will no longer be a mounted weapon.

"How do you even review Dreams?"

It's a question I've asked, and been asked. Even now, as I try to stall so the right words might spill out of my subconscious and capture some of its playful magic, I'm grappling with possible answers. It's such a wide-ranging artistic experience. What we get out of it will drastically differ from person to person.

You might flex your creative muscles in animation, a discipline I'm convinced I'll never excel at, much less wrap my head around. I'm far more likely to stick with something in my comfort zone, like sculpting. Or I could wake up one day and decide "Hey, painting would be a pleasant change of pace." Your old buddy you never talk to anymore but always see online may very well be a secret music-making wizard.

The art-creating possibilities feel endless, but not in an overwhelming way. If there's one lesson Media Molecule wants us all to latch onto, it's that we're more capable than we give ourselves credit.

Ubisoft's tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege is about to embark on its fifth year of operation in 2020, bringing with it new mechanics, modes, quality-of-life tweaks, and new door-smashing, head-popping operators. This week, at the Six Invitational tournament in Montreal, the Rainbow Six dev team officially unveiled year five's first season: Void Edge, starring two particularly unusual operators: Iana and Oryx

There is a moment in Code Shifter where one of the characters is asked to play through the game-within-a-game to test it for bugs and difficulty. She eagerly agrees at first, but when the scene jumps back to her a bit later, she's had enough of it, grown tired of the experience, and just wants to move on to other things.

That about sums up my experience with Code Shifter.

I don't know when I put down Dead Cells, but I did, and I've been meaning to get back into it ever since.

The roguelike action-platformer has seen continuous support for years now, to the point where it's easy to lose track of what's coming and what's going, but there's been one constant: it still has best-in-class flow. The Bad Seed – the first paid DLC level pack for Dead Cells – is an ideal point of re-entry.

You don't have to be at the top of your game to enjoy these two new levels and gnarly-looking boss.

So the Sonic the Hedgehog film debuted this weekend, and you know what? I wasn't nearly as bad as the original Gangsta's Paradise-booming, monstrosity-laden trailer had us believe.

It was a coherent, cute (emphasis on the re-designed model) family film: which is pretty much all I expect out of something Sonic related. But naturally there might be even more money to be made (especially if it keeps performing close to these box office estimates), and there's a bit of sequel table-setting.

Read on if you have no interest in seeing Sonic but are the least-bit curious as to what series tie-in Sega and Paramount have up their sleeves.

Spoilers:

As a white person, I've watched more than 10,000 hours of HGTV. Whether I'm screaming at some spoiled college student on House Hunters International or rolling my eyes every time a designer recommends subway tile, the channel is my go-to whenever I want to shut my brain completely off and sink deep into my chair, sunken place-style, as I watch Lakefront Bargain Hunt. These are shows where I foolishly believe I can design it better, and soon I'll have the chance to prove just how incorrect that thought is when House Flipper comes to consoles.

Originally released in 2018, House Flipper is a first-person home renovation game where players are tasked with turning a stinker into a stunner. Going by the announcement trailer, it's unclear if the Garden Flipper or Apocalypse Flipper DLC packs will be included in this port. 

Unfortunately, Podtoid tapes early in the morning on Sunday (for me). So I can't make this post all about how happy I am Parasite made history last night because we just don't talk about it on the show. Instead, I'm focusing on what we do talk about on the show: Mortal Kombat 11. With the EVO 2020 line-up announced, the best-selling fighter will have to sit this year out. But could that be for the better?

That's just one of the topics CJ, Chris, Dan, and Charlotte talk about on this episode of Podtoid. In addition to the MK snub, the crew touches on Tales from the Borderlands, Code Shifter, and the shift in tone for Rainbow Six: Siege. All that, plus how not to give a fake name to cops, on Podtoid Episode 432.

Happy Saturday, friends of Destructoid. I hope this week has found you and yours well and that you're all geared up for a neato weekend. Whether you have plans to party with pals, take a trip out of town, or just crash at home for a bit of the old R'n'R, I hope you have a good one. And for those of you who are working, well, here's hoping it's a smooth shift and that you have plans for a great evening when it comes finally time to clock out for the day.

As you're reading this, I should be milling around Montreal, Canada - some 3,200 miles from my humble homestead - in attendance at the highlight of the Rainbow Six Siege year: The Six Invitational. I'm not competing myself, (lord knows we have to make things fair for everyone else), but hopefully I'll be getting some time with some new content on the twitchy-shooter, and maybe even sharing some romantic poutine with Caveira - like that scene from Lady and the Tramp, but with added serrated blades and sociopathy.

So while I stumble round pretending I know what I'm doing, you should jot a note below and fill us all in on what games you've been playing this week. It's been another dry seven days in regards to releases, but this at least has made for some really varied responses from you, our beloved community members. Thanks for sharing each week, I really appreciate it.

Have a wonderful weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.

We've got copies of retro action-platformer Goblin Sword up for grabs in today's contest!

Huge AAA games are cool and everything, but my favorite part of this gig is getting some spotlight on indie titles that otherwise wouldn't get much coverage on the site. It makes me feel like I'm helping passionate people out, and gives the devs some extra exposure to boost their game. Also, you lot get free games -- everyone wins!

Today we've got Switch keys to give away for indie platformer Goblin Sword. It's got great retro-inspired visuals and gameplay, and I really think you're gonna dig it. So, what are you waiting for?!