Destructoid News, Tips, Tricks, Ideas

Larian Studios is teasing some of the enhancements coming to GOTY Baldur’s Gate 3 upcoming Patch 6. According to Larian, improvements have been made to smooching in the cRPG, as can be seen in the brief video clip they provided. In this teaser, Halsin follows up a passionate kiss with a peck on the forehead, which does not exist in the current build.

It’s a dismal time to be in video game development, as companies continue to announce layoffs. Now, Take-Two Interactive – the parent company of Rockstar – is looking to enact a “significant cost reduction plan,” but it doesn’t necessarily mean redundancies.

The original set of Tomb Raider games turned heads back in the day, and now, they’re returning to Switch (and several other platforms) in the form of Tomb Raider I–III Remastered Starring Lara Croft. Yes, that’s the real title, thanks for clearing up the starring role!

We’ve known for just about two years now that a Knuckles TV series was on the way. Today, we get our first taste of what to expect when the show drops on April 26.

Recently, we brought news that Embracer Group was laying off staff at Eidos Montreal. This brought to the fore the uncertainty of the Deus Ex franchise, and now some words of thanks have come from the voice of Adam Jensen himself.

Hooded Horse and Eremite Games have revealed their plans for 2023’s survival town builder, Against the Storm. It includes two free updates to further polish the game, as well as DLC with additional content.

Whatever happened to the old Discworld games? Well, they pretty much ceased to be a thing around the late 90s. However, there is a glimmer of hope that the retro point-and-click adventure series may return, so long as it bypasses a small bit of red tape.

There’s been some concern among the Subnautica fan base that the next entry will be going for a more “Games-as-a-Service” model. It’s a trend that’s often met with negative response, but it turns out this is probably not the case for the upcoming game.

For a game that was built in collaboration with AMD, it seems surprising that it’s taken this long for Starfield to support FidelityFX Super Resolution 3. However, the most recent update now makes it compatible with the image upscaling algorithm. But of course, there’s a slight catch.

The highly acclaimed indie roguelite side-scroller, Dead Cells, is about to wrap up shop, from the looks of it. While it’s been known for some time now that Dead Cells‘ Update 35 will be fairly sizeable, Motion Twin has just announced it’ll also be the game’s final content update.

Nexus Mods is something of an institution in the modding circles on PC. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with ModDB, Nexus is one of the most prolific and popular modding websites, bar none, and this fact is driven home as it reaches a new milestone — 10 billion file downloads in total.

Even though sunsetting has technically stopped being a thing in Destiny 2 in 2022, the concept is still looming over the game’s proverbial head thanks to its long-term effects. Notably, the community still wishes for some of Destiny 2‘s vaulted content to return, with Black Armory spearheading the list.

Forza Motorsport‘s Update 6 – due to release in March 2024 – is shaping up to be a huge step forward for the live-service racing game from Turn 10. Notably, the developer has just revealed that the game’s entire Car Level progression mechanic will be getting upended in accordance with player feedback.

If you’ve played Daggerfall Unity, you’ll know it’s the best way to experience The Elder Scrolls 2 in the modern gaming climate. Now, with the full thing having recently launched, the creator of the project is looking to make their own game.

Sheepy: A Short Adventure is the first independently made game by developer Thomas Lean, otherwise known as MrSuicideSheep. It’s an adorable, dark platformer that is more than it seems to be at first glance and keeps me going back for more.

Blackbird Interactive and Gearbox Publishing announced today that the upcoming space RTS Homeworld 3 has been delayed a couple of months and will now be released on May 13. According to the post, recent feedback from Homeworld 3‘s public War Games demo and insights from Homeworld veterans made the team aware of final tweaks to make Homeworld 3 the best experience possible.

The PlayStation exclusive Helldivers 2 has caught the attention of many players for various reasons. The hype has resulted in a tsunami of purchases, putting Helldivers 2 in a good position.

Take-Two Interactive has an interesting response to gamers upset with what the company does with the in-game currency they buy. In an ongoing dispute over whether money is essentially stolen when a game’s servers shut down, Take-Two characterized in-game virtual currency as “fictions created by game publishers.”

The outstanding Persona 3 Reload sales have led to it being the fastest-selling Atlus game in its history. One million copies of Persona 3 Reload were sold in its first week, according to Atlus.

The internet sure does love a cat, as illustrated by games like Stray, and Copycat eagerly jumps on that bandwagon in its demo debut. Thankfully, that never feels gimmicky, and the Steam Next Fest sampling is packed with enough emotion to make the grumpiest grouch’s heart melt.

Paradox Interactive unveiled its plans for grand strategy title Crusader Kings 3 over the next year. The new chapter features two new expansions including a Byzantine-themed Major Expansion, an event pack, and a free cosmetic clothing addon. All of this new content is part of the Crusader Kings 3 Chapter 3 Expansion Pass.

Every so often, a new anime season will start and I’ll find one series, in particular, to latch onto like a vice. This season, that series is Sasaki and Peeps. In only a couple of episodes, this series has shown me edge-of-your-seat action and rapidly developing plots and has dipped its toes into so many genres that it’s hard to even know what to classify this series as. The point is that Sasaki and Peeps has something to please everyone!

In today’s State of Play, we got more insight into what we can expect from Rise of the Ronin which is one of PlayStation’s next big games.

PlayStation is a getting a new action title this spring. We got a long look at Stellar Blade, the upcoming action RPG from SHIFT UP Corporation, and a release date of April 26, 2024.

As previously reported, Ultrawings 2 found itself on PlayStation’s store before the developers knew it would show up.

So we haven’t done one of our “where is our review” posts in a while, because frankly, we generally get copies of AAA games on time. Although there have been bumps in the road every so often, most gaming publishers want people to try out their games early, from the press to content creators, to any number of other folks in this modern media landscape.

Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the classic 2006 RPG, is due to release on February 2. Between 2013 and 2016, AIC ASTA and A-1 Pictures released four animated films on Persona 3. The question is: are they worth watching before Reload‘s release?

I didn’t think I’d be revisiting the mind of walkedoutneimans so soon after Tyko’s Dying Together, but here we are with iPad Baby. I need a breather. I can’t take this much sensory overload.

There are a variety of different types of Merchant spread across the islands of Palpagos. From Seeds to Ammo and everything between, there’s one who sells what you need. Here’s the rundown of all static Merchants, where to find them and what they sell. 

If you’re a fan of the Mega Man Zero series but always thought it was a tad slow, you’ll want to keep an eye on Berserk Boy. The action-platformer from the appropriately-named BerserkBoy Games is coming to Nintendo Switch and PC on March 6. 

There are 135 Pals in Palworld if you count all of the variants as separate Pals, but players are obsessing over just one of them. Depresso is the living embodiment of adult life, and players can’t get enough of his less-than-enthusiastic approach to life and responsibilities. 

Stardew Valley developer ConcernedApe has confirmed the fans’ suspicions: content update 1.6 is due to launch in 2024 after all! Though update 1.6 won’t be the biggest the game’s received yet, it has ended up being bigger than the developer expected, which is good news for the players.

I recently spoke with No More Heroes creator Suda51 about a previously unexplained moment in Travis Touchdown history. Specifically, I found out the story behind Travis’s unique look in the 2019 reveal trailer for No More Heroes 3.

VR isn’t for everyone. Financially, the entry point is relatively high; then there’s the potential nausea that comes with it. Plus, all that space required should you have one of those fancier rigs.

While there’s certainly something to be said about Turn 10’s overreliance on temporary, live-service content in Forza Motorsport, the studio has been adding lots to the game post-release. All-new tracks are usually the highlights of their respective updates, and Update 5’s Nürburgring Nordschleife will be no different.

Destiny 2 fashion aficionados, you have something to get pumped about before The Final Shape. That’s because, arguably, the best weapon shader is returning to the game via the upcoming Riven’s Wishes content. I’m talking about Twilight Keepsake, the matte black one. So, while you may have all the Starcats and every Wish-Keeper Catalyst, there’s still something to look forward to during the next expansion’s lengthy delay. It’s especially true for anyone who missed out on Twilight Keepsake the first and only other time it was available in-game.

“WHELP. IT HAPPENED,” begins the tweet from Lilith Walther (b0tster on Twitter), one of the developers behind Bloodborne Kart, a fanmade spin-off of the popular FromSoftware game. Sony has allegedly contacted them requesting the removal of copyrighted content from the game.

It’s pretty easy to stand out in the Virtual Boy catalog. There were only fourteen games. Half weren’t very good, half felt like tech demos, and half were Virtual Boy Wario Ware. If a game didn’t fit into any of those three halves, it stuck out like a missing tooth.

Poundmates are RGG’s version of summons, for the RPG system they’ve built in the recent Like a Dragon games. And one familiar face, Nancy, returns as a Poundmate summon in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth with a new pal Olivia in tow. It’s a tag-team you won’t want to miss.

Mr. Podunkian revealed the Steam store page for their upcoming city life simulator, Sunkissed City, which is coming to PC sometime in late 2024.

During the Warframe Devstream 176, developer Digital Extremes revealed plans for the next big update, Dante Unbound. Scheduled to release in March 2024, the update will bring the 56th Warframe to the popular action RPG MMO.

Originally released in 2022, Stray‘s tale of friendship and a search for home captivated the collective attention of the gaming world and the internet at large. Initially, that was all thanks to its biggest hook — playing as a cat. A nameless, adorable stray that had many charmed before it’d even launched.

After last week’s vote on this year’s Destiny 2 Festival of the Lost armor designs, Bungie has already published the winning sets. By popular vote, we’ve got Evil Wizard Hunters and Warlocks, and Good Wizard Titans, but the fashion community is not at all thrilled with the results.

Bandai Namco has issued an update this morning, addressing matchmaking errors and crashes that popped up on launch night for Tekken 8.

The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance Studios has opened up some new positions for an upcoming project that’s being built in Unreal Engine 5. It seems the studio is on the hunt for additional talent, just months after last August’s layoffs.

Earlier in the year (wait… it’s still January?!) we mentioned how Hitman: Blood Money was making an appearance on the Switch. Well, that day has now arrived, and this special “Reprisal” edition comes with some features just for this port.

Playing Monopoly Go can be a drag if you don’t have enough dice rolls. Thankfully, the studio distributes codes to the community through social channels. Here’s a recap so you don’t have to go hunting everywhere!

Well, it looks like more Switch successor rumors are swirling. A new report has emerged today stating that the Switch 2 (or whatever it ends up being called) is indeed targeting a 2024 release, and with an LCD screen.

Inin Games and NatsumeAtari have released a new trailer of Tengo Project’s upcoming remake, Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn. This one shows the new game side-by-side with the 1990 original.

The long-awaited Version 2.0 update of Honkai: Star Rail is just around the corner! An announcement on YouTube delivers details regarding banners and new content coming to the game. If you missed it, or don’t have time to sit through an hour-long presentation, here’s a summary for you!

Ultrawings 2 originally released in October 2022, receiving good reviews. You can grab it on Steam and the Meta Quest, and to the surprise of the developers, on the PS VR2 as well.

Back in December, the social deduction phenomenon Among Us crossed over with Vampire Survivors. The result was a surprisingly fun (and cheap) DLC called Emergency Meeting that launched on every available platform….except Switch.

For realsies this time, Skull & Bones launches on February 16. If the pirate game has managed to keep you curious all this time, look out for the open access running from February 8 until 11.

When I watch horror movies, I’m always convinced I can do much better than the clueless protagonists. Survive the Killer let me test my survival skills and, unsurprisingly, they weren’t as great as I expected. Playing the role of a murderer suited me better, so I needed a good knife. 

Three years ago, base builder and space simulation game Dyson Sphere Program was released and quite frankly blew my mind. I had already invested over 1,000 hours in Factorio and over 100 hours into Satisfactory, so I knew Dyson Sphere Program would be a game for me. What I didn’t expect, however, was the massive scope of the game.

Dating sims are harder to create than people give them credit for. Hundreds of thousands of words, dialogue trees that stretch to the horizon and take into account successes and failures, trying to fit in as many characters as possible to suit different preferences; the complexity piles up and threatens to collapse. It gets more difficult when you try to merge it with another genre.

According to reporting from Kotaku, Black Forest Games has announced the termination of 50% of its overall workforce, which was said to be around 110 employees in 2023. They join a growing list of layoffs experienced in the industry, which continues to accelerate from last year.

Tower Bosses in Palworld are tough to take down due to their powerful skills and massive health pools. It sure would be great if you can capture them, right? Actually, as of now, you can use a glitch or exploit to capture tower bosses in Palworld.

If you thought the idea of a live-action Final Fantasy XIV series sounded like a massive undertaking, you’d be right. One of the executive producers, Dinesh Shamdasani of Hivemind Entertainment, recently confirmed that the project has been canceled. 

Are you tired of long-running live service games with no end in sight? Well, Bushiroad’s Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE! isn’t just getting a global launch date; it’s also getting a global closure date, at the same time.

Dejobaan Games and Petricore Inc. have announced that the remaster of their 2009 indie classic, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! Remastered, has launched today on PC.

Announced in September, we’ve been awaiting confirmation as to when the Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition would launch on PC. Today, Sony gave us our answer.

While I wouldn’t say I’m bad at games by any stretch, I know a game I’ll be bad at when I see one. NanoApostle is one such game, and the frenetic boss rush actioner from developer18Light Game (Pronty) is due out on PC in summer 2024. 

The Last of Us Part II’s about to be seen in a whole new way. Grounded 2, a making-of documentary for The Last of Us Part II, premieres next week.

Depending on who you ask, indie games are the bread-and-butter of modern gaming, and there’s certainly merit in that statement, as they serve niches that AAAs simply do not. Take stealth gaming, for example, which received something truly exciting just a few days back: Intravenous 2: Mercenarism.

Last year, we reported that Twitch was introducing a new Partner Plus Program, which brought with it changes to how streamers are paid. While it was met with some praise, it was also criticized for certain threshold requirements. As a result, the company has implemented a few changes.

According to IGN, Microsoft has fired 1,900 employees from its video game divisions including Xbox and Activision Blizzard. The layoffs affect almost 9% of the 22,000 employees at the company. In a memo to staff, Microsoft Gaming CEO claims the layoffs come after leadership at Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard identified areas of overlap following the recent acquisition of Activision, Blizzard, and King.

Nintendo’s battle royale F-Zero 99 has been around the block for a few months now, but it’s still seeing steady updates. As of the 1.2.0 update that went live on January 24, F-Zero 99 now includes an easier way to play with friends alongside a little surprise for more dedicated players.

Torture Star Video, the publishing arm of Puppet Combo, is bringing Tomás Esconjaureguy’s slasher adventure, Cannibal Abduction, to consoles. It will arrive on Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles on February 8, 2024.

It may be approaching nine years old at this point, but fans of Until Dawn may wish to know that Supermassive’s interactive horror game could be coming to PS5 and PC. That’s according to at least one report so far.

This year has already gotten off to a rocky start for developers who are still experiencing the wave of layoffs that plagued 2023.

After plenty of online speculation around whether it would actually happen, The Pokémon Company has released a statement about “another company’s game” released in January 2024. And we can say what we’re all thinking: Palworld.

Time marches forward, and with it, gaming must also keep itself relevant. A few months back, we talked about how Nintendo was ending online support for two of its now-defunct consoles. A recent update from the company has since narrowed down exactly when that’s going to be happening.

Every so often, a game comes along with an amazing elevator pitch but as soon as you jump into it, it becomes obvious why it’s a bad idea.

Remember Diablo 2 and its infamously stingy inventory system? Years ago, the classic RPGtaught many of us how remarkably satisfying it feels when all of your loot clicks together just right. Enter Backpack Hero: a game that takes this very system and runs —nay, sprints with it.

Yoko Taro’s NieR series has been synonymous with live service crossovers since the release of NieR Automata. Everything from Final Fantasy XIV to Final Fantasy Brave Exvius has seen the likes of 2B make an appearance, so it’s tragically ironic that NieR’s own live service game, NieR Reincarnation, is closing its doors soon.

Say what you will about the likes of Resident Evil 4, its iconic B-movie cheese means it’s a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. However, there’s being flippant about certain aspects of your IP and…whatever’s going on with this mod.

Fans of Zelda music, take note, because Nintendo is bringing The Legend of Zelda Orchestra Concert online. The full pre-recorded performance will be available to stream for free via Nintendo’s YouTube channel on February 9. 

With 6 million players and already proven popularity, Palworld players are expecting big things from Pocketpair. Our first glimpse of the Early Access roadmap for Palworld shows that the team is already working on even more content for the survival game.

We all know cats have nine lives, but Umbraclaw is on the way to prove they also get successively cooler powers each time they die. The latest side-scrolling action game from Inti Creates (Azure Striker Gunvolt, Blaster Master Zero) is set to launch on consoles and PC on May 30, 2024.