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With vintage gameplay and mechanics, Tenebris Somnia taps into all the good and bad of retro gaming.
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement targets a list of major companies, including Microsoft.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is one of the year's best games, blending remarkable visual style, impactful combat, and balletic traversal. Also, as a bonus, everybody is really hot. It's not excellent because everybody is hot, but it certainly doesn't hurt. In that regard, it's very reminiscent of Hades and its sequel, which figured out that if we're going to frequently see character portraits for dialogue, they may as well be easy on the eyes. Right off the bat you see Trevor Belmont and his daughter, Rose, disembarking in Paris. Trevor is a silver fox and Rose is a beautiful (if slightly terrifying) maiden. As you venture further into the castle, you find characters like the Zealot, Isaac--a goth prince if ever I saw one--and the Warrior, whose identity I won't spoil but let's just say will appeal to fans of tall, strong women. The Fallen, a corrupted beast of a man, isn't too bad to look at for those players who came of age with Beauty and the Beast. Even Medusa has a certain kind of weird beauty, if you're willing to look past the snakes. Do not look directly at the snakes. Castlevania: Belmont's Curse The best example of all this may be Carmilla, the blood witch vampiress who wears a slinky little red dress. It looks fashionable until you realize it's just thick rivulets of blood dripping off her body at all times. Gross! And yet. Hm. And don't even get me started on Dracula himself. When the lord of darkness finally appears, he makes the very attractive Trevor Belmont look like a schlubby dad by comparison. The character is often portrayed as a metaphor for temptation or lust and, having seen this depiction, look, I get it. The overall ratio of hotties is somewhat diminished by monstrous boss characters. There are definitely some members of Rose's tarot deck who aren't attractive or, well, human. The Brittle King, for example, is a roughly human-shaped thing made out of shards of stained glass. I'm not going to presume to say that won't appeal to anybody, but probably not most players, at least. For the most part, though, the human and humanoid characters in Castlevania: Belmont's Curse are remarkably, ridiculously good-looking, and that doesn't seem accidental. It's just one more way the game feels smooth and inviting in every aspect, and it's bound to inspire countless pieces of fan art.
Playing the music. The post How to solve Notre Dame Piano puzzle in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse? War and Famine weapon location appeared first on Destructoid.
Street Fighter has long been more than just a fighting game. It’s impossible to discuss the most popular video game characters of all time without mentioning Chun-Li, Ryu, or Ken. For many of us, it shaped our '90s childhood at the arcade and served as our introduction to the fighting-game genre. It also has inspired multiple movies, comic books, an anime series and manga, on top of endless collaborations with other fighting game and comic book franchises. Street Fighter's massive popularity is also a curse when it comes to live-action video game adaptations: 1994's Street Fighter and 2009's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li were poorly received, despite both films having big budgets and being hyped among fans. The franchise failing twice as live-action films was an embarrassment to Capcom, so it's no surprise fans would be concerned about a third attempt at creating a decent live-action film. When Kitao Sakurai was announced as the Street Fighter director, fans were both excited and concerned about him taking reins due to a history of working closely with Eric Andre. There was hope though, especially with the positive reception of a few other video game adaptations in the last few years: Perhaps the experience of Andre’s eccentric style of comedy could mean a more unconventional approach, similar to Zach Cregger’s approach with Resident Evil? Maybe the casting mix of Andre, pro wrestlers, martial artists, and, for some reason, podcaster Andrew Schulz could produce a very chaotic live-action comedy? Unfortunately, the questions around the movie's identity are ultimately what hurt the adaptation the most because, even with cartoonish action and plenty of attempts at humor, this Street Fighter movie doesn't really figure out what it is. As with many other adaptations of Street Fighter, Ken is rich and famous, but he is also a shell of the fighter he once was--Ryu's absence has clearly taken its toll. Noah Centineo encapsulates Ken’s flashy personality and inflated ego excellently, while showcasing his more fragile and sensitive side as he reminisces about his past life with Ryu. Meanwhile, Ryu is now living in the shadows as a homeless ramen chef. Andrew Koji as Ryu is also fantastic casting: His serious and noble demeanor, even when it comes to making terrible ramen, feels natural. The first act of Street Fighter is engaging thanks to its focus on Ken and Ryu’s relationship. Their individual personality quirks should have set the tone for the rest of the film, but sadly it starts to have an identity crisis when it transitions to the main plot. Don’t get me wrong--there are still many aspects of the film that capture the essence of the Street Fighter games: vibrant and thrilling fight scenes, cheesy dialogue, and some initially questionable casting choices that finally make sense after seeing the movie, especially Noah Centineo's Ken Masters. Street Fighter also immediately captivates you. Shortly after the Capcom logo hypes up the audience, the film transitions to a beautifully animated sequence that highlights the deep bond between Ryu and Ken. The animated sequences are the best Street Fighter has ever looked on screen, and luckily these scenes become a staple throughout the film to highlight the history between the two young fighters. Once the opening credits are over, the film continues to learn into '90s nostalgia with cool environments and oddly endearing comedic moments, as it depicts Ken living his life in 1993 without Ryu, his childhood rival and sworn brother who has been missing for years. Ken and Ryu’s last moment together was witnessing the death of their master, Gouken, by the deity Akuma, who was awakened by Ryu’s powers in the first World Warrior Tournament. Haunted by the death of their mentor and blaming himself for causing it, Ryu has disappeared from the fighting world. As with other movies based on fighting games, Street Fighter is in a rush to reach its core goal: Get Ryu and all the iconic characters to battle in the World Warrior Tournament. The rush never fully allows the audience to absorb the other characters and environment. This flaw could have been balanced with the proper tone and character focus, but Street Fighter fails to do so, doing the cast a disservice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6sbm1OaJb8&t=1s The biggest letdown is the dialogue, as the humor is inconsistent and the movie never fully understands its own tone. Some characters, like Chun-Li and Dan Hibiki, don't fully commit to their personalities, either. Perhaps it’s the juvenile scripting or a casting issue, but either way, it felt like I was watching amateur actors in poor cosplay rather than seeing well-realized versions of these characters coming to life on screen. At first, the cringeworthy interactions got a few laughs out of me and had some very minor endearing moments, but it tries too hard to keep that comedic momentum going and fails miserably. The film forces you to accept bad writing and performances to drive it forward instead of allowing any of the interactions to feel natural.Chun-Li’s character was the most disappointing to me. Her tragic backstory of avenging her father is already canon, which should’ve made it easier to adapt into a decent side plot with the right amount of tweaking, but instead she is incredibly flat and never fully fleshed out. Actor Callina Liang seems bored and uncomfortable throughout the entire film, even during her intense interactions with M. Bison and minor action moments. The writing and odd directional choices cater to the male gaze, making it obvious she was lazily written by a man. As one of the most capable and badass female characters in gaming, Chun-Li and, by extension, Callina Liang deserved better, and so did the fans. The dumbfounding casting and scripting choice for this film was Andrew Schulz as Dan Hibiki. When Street Fighter was first announced, there was an immense amount of backlash for the casting of Andrew Schulz--a controversial podcaster and stand-up comedian. I could go on about the drama surrounding Schulz’s audience, his racism, hot takes, comedic style, etc., but for the sake of our collective sanity, I'll just say his inability to portray Dan’s character with any competency is yet another reason to question why he has any involvement in the production. In Street Fighter canon, Dan is often portrayed as cocky and arrogant, while also being a bit inept as a fighter, yet in the movie his characterization is unclear--is he slimy or charismatic? Is he supposed to crack jokes, or just be an awkward friend? It’s also very odd how prevalent Dan is throughout the film, especially since he is without an arc or story to justify his frequent presence. The movie tries to sell you on a bond between Dan and Ken, but it’s a very uncomfortable friendship that never seems realistic or entertaining. The one vulnerable moment between them is immediately ruined by a weirdly homophobic joke--which, sadly, the film has a few of--and it comes off unsettlingly. In general, Dan and his casting are flat and uninspiring. The initial joy of '90s nostalgia also wears off pretty quickly. It was certainly a welcome choice to have '90s hits like Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It” and 4 Non Blondes’ "What's Up?” feature on the soundtrack, but the movie goes on to then disregard the era the movie takes place in by blasting “Who Let the Dogs Out?,” a song that came out in 2000. While the film still remains pretty colorful, the lack of commitment to being period accurate undermines the vibe frequently.The only aspect of Street Fighter that maintains a consistent quality is the fight choreography. This film is not afraid to embrace the cartoony vibes and reference unique movesets: hurricane kicks left and right, the iconic Hadoken, Blanka’s Electric Thunders, Zangief’s spinning piledriver, and a few more are sprinkled throughout each fight. Although the action was a little more limited due to the PG-13 rating, I was still impressed with the over-the-top stunts and tonally varied fights--silly spats with gags, a John Wick-style club brawl, and a few unique 1v1 battles that closely resemble what you would see in a Street Fighter game.It’s also disappointing that a movie called Street Fighter fails to use its tournament structure for more individual fights between side characters. I would’ve loved to see Guile bust out some Sonic moves, or M. Bison doing anything other than complaining he needs more psycho power, but the film attempts to make up for it with a mix of impressive martial arts and campy action sequences elsewhere. Despite a PG-13 rating that limits the level of violence, the choreography team does fantastic work nevertheless. I just wish it had more Street Fighter style fights with different characters instead of being overshadowed by the goofy brawls you see in typical martial arts films.Street Fighter is full of goofy action, colorful shots, and gorgeous animated sequences that focus on the bond between Ryu and Ken. It’s entertaining for some silly, mindless fun, but also a very messy movie that never quite figures out its tone and fails to sell you on its plot or characters. This is the best Street Fighter live action we have as far though, but unfortunately that's not an accolade worth bragging about.
Grand Theft Auto is a franchise that famously includes guns, but this big advertisement for it in Paris cut them out
If we have to do this, can we stop doing it in the worst way possible?
The pet rooster may or may not have played a role in my decision. The post You win, Embark: I finally bought Arc Raiders because of PvE, and I’m having a blast appeared first on Destructoid.
A pro Dota 2 player is claiming he had to play a full Dota match in front of police officers to prove his identity. Thankfully, he had the sauce.
The musical duo produced ‘Flower In A Hurricane,’ the latest release from the GTA 6 soundtrack.
"Our goal is to see Runescape grow again"
"Yes, I love the game. Am I any good at it? That’s another question"
Operators with five guns and misspelled patches have fans shaking their heads
Exploring the sands! The post Best spots to visit in DayZ Badlands: Nasdara appeared first on Destructoid.
In the wake of a furious backlash from players, Jagex admits it "missed the mark."
Street Fighter hits theaters this Friday
"Bad actors have been abusing this in increasingly troublesome ways"
Epic Games could instead talk about what makes its store good
Remedy keeps winning. The post CONTROL Resonant crosses 1 million sales, and all that not pirating might have paid off appeared first on Destructoid.
Three top-tier survival crafting games have entered their 1.0 era.
The general consensus seems to be that Street Fighter isn't a disaster, but it definitely misses a lot more than it hits.
Creative director Mod Ryan announced that RuneScape Reignited, a new game mode designed for both old and seasoned players to start fresh, has been canceled less than two weeks after it was first announced.
So close to a portrait of ruin
The new version of RuneScape would have launched new worlds with exclusive, fresh characters
The acclaimed PC shooter, Squad, is coming to consoles and PS5 players will be able to experience it very soon.
Nekki has released a new trailer and screenshots for single-player story-focused action game SPINE introducing …
Psychological horror game When Sirens Fall Silent will launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series …
Mystical Western Soulslike first-person shooter Guns of Eschaton will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, …
Publisher Wired Productions and developer Glee-Cheese Studio have revealed the Level Editor for rhythm adventure …
ZA/UM will release a Switch 2 version of espionage RPG ZERO PARADES: Director’s Cut alongside …
Purchasing intent for MW4 down on last year's game.6. 8. 4. 8. 7.No, those aren’t the numbers, Mason – they’re the scores of our last five Call of Duty reviews. (Excluding this year’s Black Ops ports, which absolutely exploded on the PS5.)Read the full article on pushsquare.com
Moving through! The post All movement abilities in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse and how to unlock them appeared first on Destructoid.
Digital Lighthouse Games has announced Encryption, a cinematic first-person psychological horror game set during a …
Publisher Fictions and developer Panache Digital Games will release PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Switch …
Dark fantasy roguelite action RPG Ember & Blade will launch in Early Access for PC …
Publisher Secret Mode and developer Offworld Industries will release PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series of …
The union has spent over two years trying to negotiate its first contract
Monochromatic Metroidvania game Lelu will launch for Xbox Series, Switch 2, and PC via Steam …
It's so Peak.Last year, it was difficult to be online and not see endless clips of a game called Peak — a co-op climbing game that took the world by storm. Well, it seems it's finally making its way to consoles.The game, a collaboration between Aggro Crab and Landfall Games, has been rated for release on PS5 by the North American games ratings organisation, ESRB (thanks Wario64).Read the full article on pushsquare.com
Side-scrolling action platformer sequel Gravity Circuit 2 will launch for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch, …
At E3 2009, Sony announced that it was partnering with Rockstar on a PlayStation-exclusive spy game called Agent, with Rockstar founders Sam and Dan Houser overseeing development. The game never materialized, though, and now Dan Houser has shared more details as to why. Speaking to IGN, Houser said Agent never coming out shouldn't be a total shock because he worked on "a bunch of games that never came out." He said Rockstar tried with two or three different teams to make Agent--an open-world spy game--but the teams just "could not get it right." "And it never came out. We concluded that it was not a game we were ever going to figure out how to make. Other people can try, but I personally think it's hard," he said. Great spy movies like the James Bond series work so well because they take viewers all over the world, but "that's not an experience in an open-world game that really works," Houser said. "So we tried lots of things and couldn't get it quite right," Houser said, going on to say that the teams built great elements but they never came together in a full package. Images of Agent, which was reportedly set in the '70s, have emerged over the years, showing off some of what Rockstar was planning. In 2009, then-Take-Two president Ben Feder told GameSpot that Agent was being positioned to be the next Grand Theft Auto. “It’s the A team working on an AAA title,” he said at the time. “I think the subject matter, the characters, the story, the environment, the background–all the elements are there. It’s such a rich environment to play in.” Across the industry, games get canceled regularly--Blizzard has said it cancels 50% of the games it starts--but Rockstar's Agent got more traction because of the studio's profile. Rockstar never gave Agent a release date, but it would have followed up 2008's Grand Theft Auto 4. The next game that Rockstar North led development on after GTA 4 was 2013's GTA 5, and now Rockstar North is set to release GTA 6 on November 19.
3DClouds has announced AfterZero: The Last Drive, a story-driven single-player driving survival adventure game coming …
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is set for release on October 23, and in a big shakeup, it will not be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. This has been known for a while, but Activision is reminding people of this in a new blog post on the eve of the game's campaign early access on October 16. In fact, Activision has been warning people that MW4 is not on Game Pass for months now, so the blog post is just the latest example of this. Upon release, the only way to get MW4 is by purchasing it outright, starting at $70 for the base edition and scaling to $100 for the Vault edition. Game Pass subscribers will have to wait a year for MW4. When will MW4 come to Game Pass? Activision said MW4 will be available on Xbox Game Pass at some point at the end of next year, meaning it will be "windowed" as a standalone purchase for about one year. Why are new Call of Duty games no longer included with Game Pass? 2024’s Black Ops 6 was the first entry in the series to launch directly into Xbox Game Pass, with Black Ops 7 following the same playbook in 2025. However, Microsoft announced earlier this year that new Call of Duty titles would no longer debut in Game Pass, an announcement it made in conjunction with a price cut for the subscription service. Microsoft has never explicitly said why it made this major change, but it could have to do with lost sales. It was reported that Black Ops 6 coming to Game Pass in 2024 amounted to Microsoft missing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. That number has been debated, and it does not tell the whole story, but no doubt there was a financial impact that Microsoft is responding to. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is undertaking a "reset" of the Xbox business, and cutting new Call of Duty games from Game Pass is part of that. She is also trying to revive Xbox console exclusives, including a nuclear option. What other Call of Duty games are on Game Pass? Although Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can't play MW4 until next year, the catalog currently includes a bunch of older entries in the series. These include: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Call of Duty: WW2 Call of Duty: Vanguard Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
Roguelite pinball shooter Appulse will launch for PC via Steam on November 26, publisher Raw …
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